


A Thousand Years

by Stars_Aligned



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: And angst, Falling in Love?sorta, Fate, I think I might be crazy, I'm Weird, I'm sorry to the Charlotte lovers, Lots of Angst, Multi, Probably ooc, Reincarnation, Rooftop Prince AU, Takumi's the perfect house wife, Unrequited Love, but I thought she'd fit Se Na the best, but hope you like this, fluff?, kinda slow burn, more to be tagged, plus her as an antagonist is fun to write, somewhat of a mystery, weird magic I just made up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-26 20:20:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 65,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7588672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stars_Aligned/pseuds/Stars_Aligned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prince Leon is sent to the future to uncover the truth behind his wife’s death and assassination. However, he might end up realizing that fate has sent him on this path to be reunited with someone he was truly meant to be with from the very beginning.</p><p>(Guess, who still sucks at summaries?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story heavily inspired and based off of Rooftop Prince...it's pretty much the show's plot and main events, but I kind of added my own twists with magic and blah blah blah XD. Hope you enjoy and if you're wondering, Rooftop Prince is a Korean drama and before you hate me, it's actually pretty good. (And no, I'm not Korean). 
> 
> But if you're interested you can watch it in eng sub here : http://dramanice.eu/rooftop-prince/watch-rooftop-prince-episode-1-online
> 
> But anyways here is another long a** fic I have planned to write XD

  
_Reincarnation : the rebirth of a soul in a new body._

Holding the cloth in front of him, Prince Leon couldn’t help but smile at the beauty. The embroidered flowers were sewn so beautifully, each petal done with careful detail. His wife’s talents left him in awe once again, never ceasing to amaze him.

“This is beautiful, Calla,” Leon ran his fingers over the pink camellias on the handkerchief.

His wife smiled back giving him her thanks as they continued their morning stroll around the castle gardens. Her golden hair glistened in the sunlight, light blue eyes sheepishly looking down at the ground.

“I spent all night making it,” Calla explained, arm moving to hook around his own. “I’m glad you like it.”

“You’re very talented in embroidery,” Leon tucked a few of her golden strands behind her ear, noting how the crown princess became more beautiful by the day. “I guess I should’ve already guessed by your pauper background.”

Calla used to have a poor family, working as a pauper in a Nohrian village. The day Leon finally agreed to find himself a crown princess or lover, much to his father and younger sister’s delight, he was sent pretty much everywhere in Nohr, meeting many beautiful women and men (since he really had no preference, believing there were no boundaries when it came to love).

When he first set eyes on Calla, he saw her as another beautiful lady that he was going to find no interest in. However, as the two talked more, Leo could see himself falling for the pauper.

It only took a year of knowing her to convince Leon that she was the one and they happily married one another, a wedding like no other.

He seemed to discover something new about Calla everyday, finding more and more things to love about her.

“You don’t have to walk so far behind us, Ren,” Leon turned around, missing how the smile on Calla’s face faded afterwards. “I invited you to come along with us. At the moment, it seems as if you’re not even here.”

Leon’s brother-in-law who was currently staring at the ground, lifted his gaze to meet the prince’s.

“R-right,” Ren nodded his head slightly. “I apologize.”

One of the things that Leon had discovered one day, was that Calla had an adoptive brother, younger only by two years. Another interesting factor that came to play was that he was Hoshidan, coming from the neighboring kingdom. He was apparently found by Calla’s parents as a young child and adopted into the family when he had no recollection of his former family.

Ren wore a simple ‘yukata’, at least that is what Leon thinks they were called. He had golden hair, just like his sister and kept it in a long simple braid. Despite the long hair, the first thing Leon noticed about Ren the first time they met was the face veil he always had covering his face from his nose to his mouth. It was a light blue veil with embroidered flowers (Leon believed was done by Calla) and held on either end by two yellow clips that were clipped into his hair.

No one ever mentioned what caused him to wear a face veil and Leon did not want to pry back then in fear of angering Ren and ruining his relationship with Calla.

Ren walked a bit faster to catch up with the husband and wife, settling on still walking behind the couple, but closer than before.

“She walks in Beauty, like the night. Of cloudless climes and starry skies; and all that's best of dark and bright, meet in her aspect and her eyes: thus mellowed to that tender light,” Leon began to recite a poem he had memorized from the day he had met his princess. “Heaven to gaudy day denies.”

The blond prince had told Calla this poem countless times before, always reciting it from memory whenever his heart was filled with bliss from her. Unhooking their arms to hold her hand, Leon looked at his wife, waiting for her to continue the rest of the poem.

She noticed this and breathed out an embarrassed laugh before saying, “I don’t know the rest.”

Leon couldn’t hide the disappointment in his face. He had always told his wife this poem, over and over again. He had wished for her to continue the poem from memory like he had.

Before Leon could continue reciting the poem himself, a quiet voice said, “One shade the more, one ray the less, had half impaired the nameless grace which waves in every raven tress, or softly lightens o'er her face; where thoughts serenely sweet express, how pure, how dear their dwelling-place.”

Leon laughed, impressed, turning to Ren, whose eyes were fixated on the path they were walking on.

“You read the poetry book I gave you?” Leon grinned as the shorter blond nodded his head.

“Yes.” Leon couldn’t see for certain whether the other was smiling or not, but had a feeling he was. “I also solved the riddle you gave me a few days ago.”

“You did? What’s the answer?” Leon hummed, the three continuing their stroll around the gardens, the prince recalled the riddle he gave Ren.

“The three men arrange the three logs into a triangle and stand at each vertex,” Ren explained, Leon already smiling at his explanation. “So each man lifts up the logs beside them with either hand, since one log can only be lifted by two men and they need to transfer all three logs to their wagon at the same time.”

Letting go of his wife’s hand to clap, Leon turned to face Ren once again.

“Well done,” the crown prince was impressed once again. Even when he gave him the hardest of riddles, Ren could always solve them. This particular riddle was one he had asked Calla once before, however she was unable to solve it, so he asked Ren to see if the blond could figure it out. And as usual he did.

“You always seem to solve my riddles,” Leon sighed. “Amazing.”

Ren was thankful for his face veil, for he was blushing underneath the light fabric. The thought that the prince looked even more stunning in the sunlight, light blond hair perfectly brushed, and soft warm brown eyes making his heart flutter only made his face redder.

“I have another one for you,” the prince smirked, a bit smugly if you asked him. “But I do realize that you tend to take a while to get back to me with an answer. So for this riddle, you have to solve it by tomorrow.”

“By tomorrow?” Ren raised an eyebrow, the slight breeze blowing his bangs.

“Just to see how impressive your abilities are,” Leon explained, unknowingly moving his hands as he spoke causing Calla to fail to hold hands with him again. “Unless you can’t handle that.”

Ren couldn’t help but glare a bit at the taller man, about to accept his challenge before his golden eyes landed on his adopted sister. She shot him a death glare, frown prominent on her usual delicate features.

“I should probably go,” he said, biting his lip. “I shouldn’t interrupt quality time for a husband and wife.”

He glanced at his sister who was grinning approvingly before turning around to walk away.

“If you’re able to solve my riddle before tomorrow, I’ll give you a reward.”

Ren froze at that, turning his head to look back at the smiling prince and his scowling sister.

“Interesting how that got you to stay,” Leon chuckled, amused as the younger male fully turned around, looking at the ground embarrassed.

“A-alright, what’s the question?” Ren asked, quietly.

“What dies while living and lives while dying?”

Ren furrowed a brow, thinking over the question. He looked up to say something, but noticed his sister’s worried frown and turned to make his leave once again. It wasn’t right to interfere with their special moment.

“Remember. You have to solve it by tomorrow or you won’t get a reward,” was Prince Leon’s last taunt before Ren disappeared from the castle gardens as he repeated the riddle over and over again, searching for an answer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leon stirred awake, stretching his limbs as he picked up the handkerchief he left on his nightstand, admiring it’s beauty once again. Sitting up slowly to not disturb his wife, Leon turned his head to realize that Calla wasn’t lying in bed beside him. Her night clothes were folded at the bottom of the bed.

It wasn’t much of a shock to Leon, as whenever his wife had trouble sleeping she’d take a walk in the castle gardens to find more inspiration for her embroidery. According to the amount of camellias she designed, she tended to visit near the lotus pond often where the pink flowers bloomed. Leon had asked for a bridge to be built over the former bland pond as Calla wanted to marry him on one.

She actually wanted to marry him near a fish pond, but Leon settled for growing lotuses in the pond, finding himself drawn to one for some reason.

Dressing up, Leon decided to go out to find her, finding it extremely rude to leave a woman outside in the cold night. What husband or prince would he be if he did that?

Just as he was done getting ready, Elizabeth, his younger sister opened the door, tears streaming down her face.

“L-Leon…,” the youngest princess sobbed, grabbing her brother’s hand and slowly pulling him out of his chambers.

“What is it Elizabeth?” Leon asked worried, hating it whenever his sister cried. It always hurt seeing her so distraught, especially now with her choking back her sobs. He also seemed concerned over how she was awake at this hour. Usually she was out like a light the second her head touched a pillow.

“Th-the pond…,” her voice barely managed to say. “She’s...she’s…”

Eyes widening, Leon quickly rushed out of the castle, his sister in tow. The two royals practically sprinted to the castle gardens where the lotus pond was. It was in fact early in the morning, the sky still a pale grey and the air still cold from the night. The chill seemed to numb his body, but he didn’t care.

A crowd of servants who had awoken from the crisis were huddling at the edge of the pond, a grim look on each of their faces. Letting go of his sister’s hand, Leon made his way to the edge of the pond, immediately freezing at the sight.

A body drifted slowly in the water, right in front of the stone bridge where they married one another.

Calla.

She landed in the water face first, her blond hair tied into the bun she had done it in during the night. The back of her long white dress and the purple shawl she wore stood out against the dim grey water of the lotus pond.

As his servants began to shower him with sympathetic words and their deepest condolences, Leon slowly turned away from the horrific sight, walking silently back to his room. Not even his younger sister dared to talk to him at this moment.

He willed himself not to break down. He had to be strong for his people. He had to be a strong crown prince. Calla would’ve wanted him to be strong. She would’ve told him that people tend to look ugly when they cried while smiling teasingly at him. She would tell him not to cry.

He would never see the beautiful smile that graced her lips ever again. He would never get lost in those beautiful light blue diamond eyes. Leon would never get to hold her close or hold her hands. Because...

She was gone now. The girl he loved was...gone.

Leon bit his lip, eyes watering, but he refused to let them fall. Making his way back to his room, Leon closed the door. He leaned against it for support as his legs finally gave in and he slowly sank to the floor, knees curled into his body.

His window wasn’t even open, yet a non existent breeze blew the embroidered cloth onto the ground in front of him. Magic existed in their world, but this wasn’t like any other type of magic that Leon knew. It wasn’t cast by a Mage or extracted from a tome. It was only described as fate.

Picking up the handkerchief, tracing the camellias once again, Leon gripped onto the fabric harder, knuckles turning white. He needed to find out who had done this to her. This was no accident. She had obviously not slipped and fell. His love wasn’t a fool.

She had been killed. Assassinated.

And Leon was going to find out who the murderer was. But he couldn’t do it alone. He needed someone who was capable of solving this mystery. And when it came to solving mysteries, Leon knew the perfect person to ask for help first.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you sure he isn’t able to come out of his room?” Leon asked again, hoping that the answer would be different.

“I really do apologize, Prince Leon,” his former mother-in-law gave him a sympathetic look. “But poor Ren is bedridden after hearing the news concerning his sister. You have to understand. You must be grieving as well.”

Leon couldn’t help but grimace a bit after what Calla’s mother had just said. Of course, he was grieving. He wasn’t heartless and truly loved her daughter. To even consider not batting an eyelash to the tragedy was atrocious.

“Maybe you can come back some other time,” the elder woman put a soft hand to his shoulder, rubbing it assuringly before closing the front door. “I promise he’ll be better in no time.”

That was a promise Leon was going to hold against her if he came back and Ren was still too ill.

Leon had went to find Ren to assist him. The man was obviously great at solving riddles and puzzles, so solving this mystery shouldn’t have been hard for him. However, the shorter blond had went to live with his mother and father again after hearing the news, becoming quite ill. He refused to leave his room, unable to talk or walk from grief.

Leon felt quite upset hearing this, hoping that he would be alright. Ren was his friend and was always there when Leon wanted to vent out how he felt. He understood him. He was even there for him when Leon asked him how he should propose to Calla.

He explained this all to his two retainers Zero and Owain, along with someone else Leon would consider a friend, Cyrus a knight in the army.

“We can try to solve this mystery on our own,” Cyrus suggested, scratching the back of his neck. “Everyone but us thinks that this was all an unfortunate accident after all.”

“But we all know this wasn’t a mere accident,” Owain wagged a finger, shaking his head. “A beautiful maiden had been assassinated! But by whom is the real question.”

“And why she was killed,” Cyrus added, everyone nodding their heads in agreement.

“Milord, did you have any food before you and the princess went to sleep?” Zero asked, catching onto something.

“Well, Calla said that she was craving for someone sweet, so she brought beignets for us to eat,” Leon explained, recalling what had happened. “I wasn’t very hungry but she insisted we eat them together. She also brought in tea and a container full of sugar.”

“...sugar?” Zero thought hard, running a hand through his white hair.

“You know, the white crystals you put in your tea when you want it to be sweeter,” Owain explained, Cyrus slapping his forehead mumbling about how Zero knew what sugar was.

“Sugar, huh?” Zero grinned, causing them all to curiously glance at one another. “Well, I believe that the princess was poisoned.”

“Pardon?” Leon raised an eyebrow.

“Back when I was a criminal, there used to be this guy who selled this poison imported from Hoshido,” Zero explained. “The poison was a white powder, completely scentless and tasteless. You wouldn’t know you were poisoned until it was too late.”

“How long does it take for the poison to take effect?” Cyrus asked.

“The poison takes effect almost immediately. But it will kill you in a few hours or so. Just enough time for you to crawl into bed next to one another,” Zero replied, “and for her to wake up and take a stroll around the pond.”

“So when she was crossing the bridge…” Owain’s eyes widened.

“The poison killed her and she fell into the pond,” Leon finished, resting a hand on his chin.

Leon pressed his lips into a thin line, facing Zero. “Do you remember who this poison seller is?”

“It seems to be your lucky day, milord,” the former criminal smirked. “Cause I certainly do. Even remember where his hideout is.”

As they all gathered their weapons and followed the archer, Cyrus suddenly realized, “Wait, Zero! How do _you_ know where a _poison_  seller's hideout is?”

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” was the white haired man’s reply, causing Cyrus’ blood to run cold.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Looks like someone beat us to it,” Zero grunted as the four stared at the dead body lying in front of them.

The stabbed and bloodied body of the man was tossed onto the ground by whoever had murdered him. Whoever had killed the princess had killed the man they had gotten the poison from in order to hide their identity.

They walked out of the abandoned hideout and ended up brainstorming in the castle gardens.

Leon felt like punching a wall out of pure frustration. At this rate, they’d never be able to find out who the killer was. The container of sugar could no longer be found anywhere and Leon had servants search every nook and cranny of the castle for it.

Calla always preferred to drink her tea with sugar. Leon liked drinking tea the way it was. If poison was mixed with the sugar in the container then Calla was the only one who had used it, drinking her tea and poisoning her. It all made sense, but with the poison dealer dead and the container missing, leads to finding the killer were becoming scarce.

“If we don’t find anything, her death will be considered an accident,” Cyrus sighed. “If we don’t have any proof then it’s all over. The king doesn’t want you wasting time on trying to find a killer of an accidental death, Prince Leon.”

“But we do have proof,” Owain bit the inside of his cheek. “The crown princess was poisoned from the sugar put in her tea.”

“Without the sugar container, we can’t be certain about that,” Leon clenched his jaw. “The killer did this on purpose to lead us to a dead end.”

“They planned everything so perfectly,” Zero sighed. “Kind of admirable if you ask me.”

“Not the time, Zero,” Cyrus glared at the former criminal who simply shrugged.

“Perhaps fate and destiny shall give us a guiding hand to solving this mystery,” Owain put a hand to his chest. “Maybe we’ll be able to uncover the truth with the help of magic.”

“Stop talking nonsense, Owain,” Zero rolled one eye. The three realized how much Leon was pacing back and forth. The prince was walking as if his life depended on it.

“Prince Leon. Please rest,” Cyrus stopped the Royal from continuing his pacing. “There is no need to pace. You can think without walking, milord.”

“If you’d like, I could pace for you,” Owain offered, but Leon shook his head, thinking.

Something about what Owain had said had got to him. Fate. Destiny. It was all a type of magic that didn’t seem to be controlled by human beings, only able to grant them guidance. Leon remembered how earlier the embroidered cloth seemed to blow towards him. As if it was fate.

The world itself was trying to aid Leon into finding out who had killed his wife. And maybe this whole mess caused Leon to lose his sanity, but he grabbed Brynhildr, holding it flat on his hands in front of him, confusing his friends.

“I wish to know the truth behind my wife’s death,” Leon bit his lip, not even believing himself that this would work. “I wish to know what happened, who killed her...I wish to know _everything_ that happened. Fate has never been on my side, never granting me permanent happiness, but please...I need to know.”

Leon opened his eyes, not even realizing he had been squeezing them shut before. His three servants stared at him, all telepathically agreeing that Leon had lost his mind. Sure, Brynhildr was a powerful divine tome, but it had no capabilities of performing magic that could-

The tome in his hand suddenly opened, pages turning as it began to glow brightly. Magic swirled around the four of them, pink flower petals blowing around them. Before Leon could even reach out to touch them, they were gone and the blinding magic surrounding them vanished.

The garden they had been standing in before had vanished as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...um magic is weird in this AU??? 
> 
> Anyway, for those who have no clue what just happened, Calla is Charlotte and Ren is Takumi (I realized that both of their last names are flowers XD). And no their names will not be Zero, Cyrus and Owain for the whole fic. You'll see what I mean later ;)
> 
> And now Leon has to find out who killed his wife and the universe decides to throw him and his poor friends into the future a.k.a modern times to help solve the mystery. 
> 
> The poem I used was this one : http://www.poemhunter.com/poems/beauty/


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi was living his life perfectly fine before four strange men magically showed up in his house. Little does he know he is in for one hell of a ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is chapter 2! Yay!
> 
> Now here is a huge disclaimer! : my writing sucks anyway, so this might be a bit chaotic XD. Hope you still like it though and since this is inspired and heavily based off a tv show, there is so much in one episode and I'm desperately trying to fit it all in a chapter or two, so pls don't insult me. I'm alright with constructive criticism but straight up insulting me is just plain rude. 
> 
> Another thing is that I am so sorry for not updating my other fics. Since this is inspired off of Rooftop Prince it is far more easier writing, since the events and situations are already there. But I am not quitting on them, so don't worry! I just might be focusing on this fic a bit more for the time being
> 
> Also, Corrin is a company name, not a person. You'll find out why I did that later, cause my half awake mind thought 'hey, that makes sense!'
> 
> Now time to discuss a few things, Takumi's past is gonna sound real confusing so in the end note I'll try to explain it a bit better. And I always had this headcanon that Takumi is a little short stack of pancakes and wears cute baggy clothes. :D
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Takumi let out a sigh of relief as he parked the pickup truck into his small driveway, glad the day was finally over. Delivering grocery supplies to people was a lot more tiring than one would think. Climbing out of the car and locking it, Takumi trudged all the way to the rooftop, entering his home. His baggy hoodie surprisingly didn’t do much against the night breeze.

Yawning, Takumi just couldn’t wait to get a bit of sleep, no matter how short it was.

Ever since he finally found his adopted mother and sister, living in Cheve, Takumi decided to live there as well. However, working in an urban and suburb place like Cheve was a lot harder than Takumi had anticipated, especially finding a good paying job (which he still didn’t do yet).

The only job he managed to get was as a personal grocery shopper and grocery deliverer, taking boxes of food to supermarkets all around. It wasn’t the best paying job, especially compared to his older adopted sister’s.

Charlotte was a secretary for the company ‘Corrin,’ earning enough money to wear expensive clothing and live in a nice apartment compared to Takumi’s baggy clothing and rooftop house.

Takumi went to his kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water. Taking a short sip and setting the cup down, the silver haired boy decided it was best to go to bed for the night, finding himself way too exhausted to stay conscious.

A loud crash from the small living room startled Takumi awake.

He was one hundred percent sure that he lived alone and had no pets of any sort. So like any normal person would’ve done, Takumi grabbed a cleaned frying pan from atop his turned off stove and quietly walked out of the kitchen to the living room. He bit his lip as he heard more shuffling, most definite it wasn’t his half awake mind playing tricks on him.

He tightened his hold on his weapon of choice and stepped into the sitting room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leon raised an eyebrow, taking in his new surroundings. They were no longer outside in the castle gardens. They were now in some house of some sort. There was a sofa, not of the best quality, but the four noticed it was facing towards a mysterious black box, sitting on a wooden table.

Cyrus was busy poking at the strange black box unsure what it was, Zero and Owain were examining a strange hand held object, covered with pressable and multicoloured shapes while Leon was busy trying to figure out where the hell they were and why the spell seemed to take them there.

They heard a small shuffle, turning their heads in perfect sync to see a boy with long silver hair tied into a ponytail, carrying an odd looking pan and wearing the strangest clothes Leon had ever seen.

Owain started screaming, which lead to Cyrus screaming which lead to everyone screaming. Until everyone stopped, staring at one another with the exact same amount of fear in their eyes.

Takumi was holding onto the pan for his dear life. Who the hell were these people? And why- no how did they get into his house? And why were they all wearing medieval clothing? For god’s sake, one of them is wearing straight up armour.

 _Oh no_. Takumi bit his lip. _Don’t tell me I’m being robbed by cosplayers._

“Who the hell are you?” Takumi asked thankful that his voice didn’t quiver or crack, ready to smack one of them senseless with his trusty frying pan if needed.

“That is no way to talk to a prince, lowly peasant,” an over eccentric blond exclaimed, quite dramatically. “You are in the presence of the crown prince of Nohr. Bask in his essence and glory!”

Another blond facepalmed, presumably the ‘crown prince.’

“Owain,” he hissed, gritting his teeth.

 _Prince_ of Nohr? Takumi frowned. Did these people take him as a fool? He clearly wasn’t dealing with deranged cosplayers, he was dealing with idiots.

“Oh, crown prince of Nohr,” Takumi smacked his forehead, causing the man named ‘Owain’ to smile approvingly. “How awfully rude of- Get out of my house!”

Takumi outstretched his arms, holding his frying pan in a very lame battle and defense stance.

“Prince Leon, he has a weapon!” the one decked in armour warned, pulling out a sword that didn’t look fake. “Stay back and I’ll protect you.”

The grey haired boy was lifting his sword up and Takumi knew that it was _definitely_ not fake, raising his cooking utensil as a shield as if it could actually defend himself from a real sword.

“Cyrus, stop!” ‘Prince’ Leon put a hand on his knight’s shoulder. “Put the sword away. We are not here to kill people.”

Cyrus sheathed his sword, looking at Takumi up and down, deeming him as a threat as Takumi let out a small ‘Tch.’

“Look, let’s try this again shall we?” Leon sighed. Fate had brought them here for a reason. He wasn’t going to let his idiotic servants blow it. “My name is Leon and I am the crown prince of Nohr. These are my friends Zero, Owain and Cyrus.”

Any ounce of fear that Takumi had felt before was replaced with complete and utter disbelief.

“Crown prince of…,”Takumi breathed before he shook his head. “Okay, that’s it! Enough with this crown prince bullshit, okay? Tell me who you really are or get out of my house.”

“You can believe us if you want,” Leon replied, Takumi noted the weird looking book that was in his hand. “But I’d prefer it if you did.”

Takumi bit his lip. The era of magic and princes and princesses was a thousand or more years ago. And these people were claiming that they were from that era? They did just appear in his house, somewhat magically if you asked him, but it was still all too crazy to believe. Magic was pretty much nonexistent nowadays, so how was he supposed to believe this was real?

“Where are we?” Leon asked as Takumi rolled his eyes.

“We’re in Cheve. You know the city?” the shortest of everyone in the room spat, clearly not amused by this ‘act’ anymore. “And it’s 2016. So no one’s going to buy that crown prince and royalty act.”

“2016?” Leon breathed, exchanging shocked looks with the other three.

Takumi huffed, taking a better look at each of them. They all looked genuinely amazed and surprised. It was either this was actually happening or they were _really_ good actors. Takumi was praying it was the latter.

He just wanted them out of his home immediately, royalty or not Takumi did not need them in his life. He had too many problems to stress out about, including paying the rent for the very rooftop house they were standing in and he did not need another one in the form of four men clearly crazy in the head.

“Wow, 2016! Nice chat,” Takumi opened the door leading to the rooftop and stairs. “Now goodbye! Nice meeting you all, now GET OUT!”

The four seemed slightly confused and unsure of what to do. Cyrus mumbled something about it being the exact opposite of nice meeting him, causing Takumi to scowl.

“If you don’t get out of my house right now, so help me I’ll send you flying back to your damn era you claim to be from with this frying pan,” he glowered, calming down a bit as the four hesitantly scurried out the door. Takumi ignored their gasps and shock at the city view as they all looked around in amazement.

Slamming the door shut, Takumi sighed in relief. Fixing his messy hair, he put the frying pan back into the kitchen, wondering what the hell just happened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leon hoped that they would be fine after getting kicked out of the weird guy’s roof house which was an extremely rude thing to do.

All they needed to do was find out why the magic sent them there. Why it brought them to the future, especially thousands of years in the future.

Unfortunately, it was very hard to do that when you were being confined in a cell.

“Let us out, this instant,” Cyrus demanded, the blond girl in front of them rolling her eyes.

They had been locked away for what felt like days, although Leon was certain they were only there for around a day or so.

“Geez, Reina wasn’t overexagerrating when she said she caught a few people from the looney bin,” she sighed, crossing her arms.

“Would you mind telling us why we are being confined here, general?” Leon asked, earning an annoyed groan from the woman.

“ _Scarlet_. I’m ‘officer’ Scarlet. Officer. Not general,” Scarlet put a hand to her forehead, muttering, “Why do I always get stuck with the stupid ones?”

“We kept getting calls about four suspicious and weirdly dressed men walking around. You Mr. Eyepatch kept flirting with men and women. And they were revolted.”

Zero seemed to smirk at this statement, instead of being offended which was questionable in itself.

“You kept telling people to bow before the ‘crown prince’ and people were beginning to think that you escaped from a mental asylum,” Scarlet made air quotations, looking at Owain.

“You started a traffic jam by walking across the road. You almost got hit by twenty cars,” Scarlet explained in disbelief, pointing at Cyrus.

So those were what those mysterious carriages were. _Cars_. They had seen so many ‘driving’ past them, curious as to what they were. It wasn’t like anything they’d ever seen before. Carriages moving without horses. Leon couldn’t help but wonder if there was still magic in this world that allowed these structures to move.

“And you...you tried to cast spells from a fake tome in a convenience store,” she shook her head disapprovingly at Leon, who slightly blushed out of embarrassment. He didn’t know that Brynhildr wouldn’t really work anymore. Who knew that 2016 would lack magic? The only magic that seemed to one hundred percent work was fate and destiny, and that couldn’t be controlled by a human being as it only aided one’s wish.

“Poor cashier thought you were summoning a demon or something.”

“I apologize for all that,” Leon sighed, rubbing his temples. “But how long must we stay here?”

Fixing the tag on her shirt, Scarlet put glasses with dark lenses on her forehead, while the four wondered why anyone who needed glasses to see would have nearly black lenses. Wouldn’t that make it worse for your vision?

“Well, if you just gave me your contact information, I could just dial up your guardian or parent and get them to pick you guys up,” Scarlet explained, noticing their stares and pointing to her head to say ‘sunglasses.’“Hopefully getting you guys out of my hair.”

“Contact information? I don’t quite understand,” Cyrus furrowed his brow, drumming his fingers on the cell floor he was sitting on.

“Phone numbers...license plates...names,” the officer sighed. “Did you guys seriously live under a rock or something?”

As Scarlet stared at the confused men, mumbling about ‘what’s a phone number’, the blonde decided that enough was enough. She, a cop actually wanted to let these prisoners go because they were driving her mad. Pulling out her phone, she showed them a picture. “That’s a license plate.”

Staring at the picture, Leon suddenly remembered seeing one. It was on the back of what he now knew was a car in front of the house they had been teleported to. When he first took a look at it, Leon couldn’t help but find the letters and numbers in such a strange pattern intriguing. He remembered the ‘code’ out of plain curiosity.

“I remember a license plate,” Leon exclaimed, grinning. Scarlet raised an eyebrow in amusement.

When his friends looked at him confused over where he had seen one, Leon whispered for only their ears to hear, “From that house.”

Hope seemed to fill everyone’s eyes as they pictured sweet freedom once again, despite having only been locked up for about one night.

Scarlet breathed out a laugh, wondering if these guys were even real. “Alright, tell me the license plate. I’ll go run it through the computers and find your ‘guardian.’”

After giving the officer the license plate, Leon silently thanked the gods that he remembered it correctly. Or at least he thought he did. All that time memorizing poems and riddles really helped him with patterns and numbers.

Scarlet walked away from the cell, finding Reina, explaining what had happened. Leon raised an eyebrow as he heard laughter echo through the halls, but didn’t question it further.

It was so much more different here compared to Nohr back at the castle. The prison cell was actually a lot nicer, not as dingy, disgusting and dark like the dungeons of Castle Krakenburg. And for that Leon was actually quite grateful.

They couldn’t accomplish anything just sitting in a cell, so Leon hoped that the license plate was correct. Or else they’d never leave this cell and fate’s guiding hand as Owain would put it, would all be wasted.

A few minutes later, Scarlet came back, dangling keys in front of their faces. Unlocking the doors, the blonde sighed in pure disbelief. They all walked out of the cell, stretching their legs a bit. Scarlet couldn’t help but poke Cyrus’ armour before speaking up again.

“Today’s your lucky day boys. We’re going to my cruiser.”

Fortunately, they just had to follow Scarlet for none of the four knew what a ‘cruiser’ was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi smiled, bagging the desired groceries (fruit and meat) and putting them into the passenger’s seat of his truck. He always gave leftover groceries to either his mother, friends or sister. He thought that it would be nice of him to give them to his sister this time. The last time Takumi delivered the fresh groceries directly to his sister’s apartment, some guy she had a one night stand with was still there and Takumi would like to not experience that ever again.

Charlotte thought it was best for people not to see him near her property (which Takumi never got an explanation to), so he decided it was best to just give them to her at her workplace.

After driving to the company building, Takumi walked inside the fancy a-billion-dollar lobby, amazed at how high quality everything appeared to be. Then again, it was the Corrin headquarters, so you would expect everything to be so nice.

Takumi probably looked really stupid and out of place, wearing a baggy jacket and loose hoodie as usual and carrying plastic grocery bags. Walking past countless businessmen and women did not make Takumi feel any better. Especially when they gave him questioning looks.

Distracted by pretty much everything since it all seemed to be made out of gold and diamonds, Takumi ended up crashing into someone. And that someone was dressed in a business suit and much... _much_ taller than Takumi. The man, who had curly blond hair and didn’t even budge after Takumi slammed into him, extended a hand towards him who had ricochet onto the floor. Surprisingly nothing spilled out of the bags.

“Sorry about that,” Takumi apologized, taking the offered hand gratefully before practically being lifted off the ground. _Well, if it was that easy._

“It’s alright,” the man said, before pointing to the bags Takumi was beginning to pick up again. “May I ask…?”

“Oh. Yeah...I probably look like an idiot right now,” Takumi sighed, wanting to facepalm but had his hands occupied. “I’m delivering these to Secretary Charlotte.”

“Secretary Charlotte?” The older man asked. “I know her. If you’d like I could deliver these for you.”

“R-really? Thanks, but you don’t have to,” Takumi shrugged a bit, wondering how awkward he looked talking to someone with much more class and sophistication than him.

“I insist,” the tall blond took the bags from Takumi’s hands.

“Well, tell her that Takumi brought her groceries,” the shorter boy explained. “And remind her to put the meat in the freezer. She never remembers to do that.”

“Understood,” the man nodded his head, smiling a bit.

“Oh and thank you…”

“Xander,” the man answered.

Takumi nodded his head, smiling and ran off, repeating the man’s name in his head. His sister had the scariest, most intimidating friends. And why did they always have to be tall and strong and...rich looking?

Takumi sighed, about to start the car when he got a phone call. Wondering if it was one of the market workers again, Takumi looked at his phone. He really did not have to time to deal with his co workers calling him to compare him to a pineapple-

_Police station?_

Answering the call, Takumi silently wondered what he could've possibly done to cause the police to call him, hoping that they just called the wrong person.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xander put the grocery bags onto Charlotte’s desk, causing the blonde woman to raise a perfectly shaped eyebrow. Xander was one of her bosses; a co worker. He was actually a very kind man, despite looking serious and intimidating all the time, but he never bought groceries for others.

“A boy named Takumi was delivering these to you,” Xander explained. Charlotte nodded her head, not giving the bags another glance. She tried not to stab her pen into the paper in front of her at the mention of the silver haired male’s name.

She knew that she didn’t permit Takumi to drop them off in her apartment anymore in fear of someone seeing him, but going to where she worked to give them to her was far worse.

“Are you guys friends?” Xander asked, causing Charlotte to stop writing. _Much worse_.

“No, whatever made you think that?” Charlotte forced a small smile, proceeding to write again.

Takumi had probably only been there for a few minutes and he had already caused Xander to believe that they were friends? She couldn’t help but want to laugh at that.

“I don’t know. You guys just seemed close by the way he was acting,” Xander shrugged, noticing how Charlotte seemed to slightly stiffen.

Close wasn’t a word she wanted to associate with Takumi. Hearing those words come out from her boss made her stomach churn.

“We aren’t. He’s just one of those weird personal grocery shoppers whose friendly with his clients,” Charlotte explained, hoping her reasonings were believable.

Xander nodded his head slightly. From the awkward angle Charlotte was glancing at him from, she couldn’t tell whether or not he believed her.

“Elise wanted to hangout with you again today,” Xander mentioned.

Charlotte couldn’t help but smile for real after hearing that. Elise was Xander’s youngest sister, a bubbly blonde who occasionally modeled for the girly products Corrin sold. Ever since she became a personal assistant/secretary for the company family, she began to hang out more with the young girl.

“She really looks up to you and that mother of yours you always talk about.”

Charlotte had to maintain what once was a real smile, telling Xander that she’d talk again with Elise later on, gulping nervously when the tall blond mentioned her mother.

Her mother was a prestigious professor working in an academy in Valla. Well that’s what Charlotte told everyone. The truth was her mother actually worked in the grocery store. She wasn’t the perfect woman Charlotte depicted her to be. She was a foolish lady who had the nerve to adopt a boy that didn’t really belong in her family.

So for an excellent secretary of a company as big as Corrin, she couldn’t let such horrid truths be revealed. And if Takumi kept showing up in her life, the lies she had told and strategically planned out would be all for nothing.

Charlotte was only half listening when Xander bid her a farewell, mentioning something about meat in a freezer.

Unable to focus on the contracts and notes she was writing, Charlotte sighed, glaring at nothing in particular. She needed to have a chat with Takumi later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pulling up at the police station, Takumi was greeted by a blonde cop who didn’t look angry or serious like Takumi would’ve expected. In fact even on the phone, the officer seemed more amused than angry.

“You’ll need to teach me your secrets,” the officer smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder. The name tag identified her as Scarlet. “I’ll never understand how you can stand these four.”

Four? The only four people Takumi knew that could get themselves arrested were...no, it couldn’t be. Could it?

“Pardon?”

“These four,” Scarlet opened the door of her parked police car ushering out the all too familiar idiots and Takumi looked horrified. Horrified was an understatement though.

“By the expression on your face I can already tell the answer, but I’ll ask anyway,” Scarlet scratched the back of her neck. “Do you know these guys?”

How did these guys find him? He had never mentioned his name once to their faces and they didn't have his phone number. What was happening?

Without thinking, Takumi thoughtlessly said, “Yes.”

Immediately realizing what he had just said, Takumi had a mental freak out. Now he was going to be stuck with them forever. And he didn’t want that. No one wanted that.

“No! I meant no!” He yelled as the police officer began to walk away. “I meant no!”

“You said yes,” Scarlet got into her car, starting it before talking one more time through her open window. “They’re all yours.”

“W-wait! You can't just leave me with them!” Takumi cried as the cruiser drove far into the distance, leaving him with the four men he thought he had been rid of the day before.

“Help me,” Takumi croaked, the officer long gone.

This was not happening to him right now. It was all a nightmare. A really bad nightmare. One of the worst nightmares Takumi had ever experienced and it didn’t involve blood and gore. Cracking his knuckles, Takumi turned around. _Yet_.

Takumi glared at the four who innocently smiled and waved at him. The blond ‘crown’ prince even had the nerve to smirk at him.

“I _hate_ you,” Takumi said through gritted teeth, beginning to walk past them, too fed up with this. He opened his car door, ready to ditch them at any given chance before the prince suddenly spoke.

“Even though we’re starving from days without food, we’ll be alright. People can survive up to a week without eating, right Takumi?” Leon said, purposely loud and clear.

Takumi knew exactly what he was trying to do. And he wasn’t going to fall for it.

“Starve for all I care!” Takumi yelled, slamming the car door shut.

There was no way Takumi was going to feel sorry for them. No absolute way. He could do this. He could drive away from four starving men. He could drive away from sad, lost, starving men. For crying out loud, Owain was begging on his knees.

They were getting on his nerves...but that didn’t mean they deserved to go hungry.

Finally giving in to his stupid good conscience, Takumi opened the door again and stepped out grouchily, not missing the smug grin on Leon’s face which was looking quite punchable at the moment.

“You three, back of the truck,” The shortest boy grunted. “Prince, in the front.”

Takumi opened the car door, climbing onto the driver’s seat. Leon tugged at the other door handle experimentally before finally opening it and climbing in. Cyrus, Zero and Owain managed to get into the pickup truck bed, much to Takumi’s relief.

“Seat belt,” Takumi said through gritted teeth as he turned the key to start the car.

He guessed that Leon was a lot smarter than he had anticipated since the blond actually managed to click his seat belt into place without assistance.

“You know I don’t believe I’ve ever met someone as feisty as you,” Leon suddenly spoke, breaking the sweet silence that Takumi was actually enjoying.

“Oh, that’s just rich,” Takumi scowled, keeping a steady hand on the steering wheel. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as annoying as you.”

Leon scoffed before moving his head a bit to look out the car window seemingly entranced by everything in sight.

“You’re also quite aggressive.”

Takumi suddenly stepped on the brakes for the traffic light was red, causing Leon to partially choke on the seat belt restricting him from slamming into the car (which Takumi would’ve preferred).

“You’re the ones who just showed up at my house!” Takumi snapped, wanting to smack the prince if weren’t for the bits of armour. “And somehow managed to contact me. Now I’m stuck with you imbeciles, so I have the right to be aggressive. And don’t you dare say otherwise.”

Before Leon could say anything (probably another witty comment), the light turned green, so Takumi stepped on it causing the blond to fall back into his chair.

As he drove back to his house, Takumi couldn’t help but sadistically slam on the brakes once again as he reached his driveway, sending the others flying forward. Smiling a bit proudly to himself, he waved them all to get out before locking the car.

After everyone was inside the rooftop house, Takumi quickly cooked some food, plating it onto four plates and giving everyone a fork and spoon. Considering these people didn’t know what a car was, Takumi feared what would happen if he handed them all chopsticks. He was not ready for that kind of torture yet.

Shockingly they all thanked him for the food, something he did not expect for some reason. After seeing so many smug grins and knowing smirks, he was starting to believe they had no manners.

The four ate quietly on the small coffee table Takumi could afford. Scowling, Takumi wondered why of all people in the world he had to be stuck with them.

“You owe me,” Takumi hissed. “I cooked you a free meal when I could’ve let you starve.”

His doorbell rang which startled Cyrus, Zero, Owain and Leon as they were eating, unfortunately not choking much to Takumi’s disappointment. The younger silver haired boy clicked his tongue.

“Relax, it’s just my doorbell. I’ll go see who it is, so just stay here and eat your food,” Takumi walked off to the door to be met with two familiar faces. He stepped outside onto the rooftop to talk to his neighbours (the people actually living in the floors below him), Hinata and Oboro who were there to return the pot they borrowed from him.

“You wouldn’t believe what Hinata tried to do when he was cooking,” Oboro laughed teasingly as she began to tell the story.

Meanwhile the four men ate their food gratefully. Leon noted that the style of the food was different from what they were used to eating in Nohr. The spices and the ingredients themselves were very strange, but interesting in a good way.

“This is delicious,” Cyrus admitted aloud as they ate their food, earning nods of agreement.

“It’s so different here,” Leon looked around, still getting used to their new abnormal surroundings. “We’re going to have to get used to living and being here.”

“We also have to find out why we were brought to the future,” Owain put a hand to his chin. “Why were we sent to a place thousands of years after the assassination to solve it? It all seems a bit strange if you ask me.”

“Weren’t you the one blabbing on and on about fate’s guiding hand? I thought you’d be the one saying that we should trust in it,” Zero pointed out.

“I did not ever say that I doubted it,” Owain defended himself, arms flying to his sides.

However, the man accidentally hit the strange object from earlier, pressing onto the shapes. They heard a noise, heads turning to look at the black box. Except now inside it was a man, carrying a sword.

“How did that man get inside there?” Owain gasped, standing up, leading to everyone getting up to examine it.

Suddenly the soldier inside yelled something, raising his sword, pointing it directly at them.

“Prince Leon! He’s trying to kill us!” Cyrus pulled out his sword, stabbing and smashing the box. The grey haired man then proceeded to pick up the small coffee table and a vase and throw it against the demon box, causing it to topple onto the floor. A bit of smoke seemed to drift out of it and everyone sighed in relief.

“Is everyone alright?” Leon asked before obnoxious ringing was sounded throughout the room.

Covering his ears, Owain asked, “Where is that coming from?”

Looking around the room, Zero ended up picking up a small rectangular shaped object, rested on a strange stand ringing. Hastily grabbing it, he accidentally knocked over the table it was resting on. The white haired man threw the object against the ground, smashing it, before stomping on it for good measure.

“What in god’s name was that?” he coughed, glaring at the annihilated device.

“Whatever it was, we’re safe now,” Leon took a deep breath. 2016 had some very strange inventions. Who would actually put such inventions in their house?

Takumi smiled, waving goodbye as he carried the cleaned pot back into his house. After hearing their interesting experience, Takumi made sure to remember to never leave Hinata alone in the kitchen. Walking into the living room, Takumi dropped the pot horrified by the mess as the metal hit the ground.

He left them for a few minutes and they already destroyed his living room. Tables were broken on the floor, his cordless home phone was smashed and his TV was pretty much dead. Not to mention the glass everywhere. Crossing his arms, Takumi glared at the four, a murderous look in his eye.

“I believe you jinxed us, milord,” Zero said, flatly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“800 dollars,” Takumi grinned, waving a calculator in his hand in front of the men sitting on his couch.“You owe me 800 dollars for all the damage you’ve done.”

Takumi couldn’t help but smile. For once he felt like the winner compared to the others, holding the calculator proudly in his hand.

“Ah, but you see,” Takumi continued, “You need to pay me with money.”

The silver haired boy noticed how they all seemed to nervously gulp, enjoying this way too much.

“But, that’s right. You guys came from the past,” Takumi said, pretending he just remembered. “So you don’t have any money to give me.”

“Where is this going?” Leon asked, already regretting it.

“Ah yes. You boys, like any normal person have to _work_ to earn money,” Takumi explained. “You start tomorrow and you’ll be helping _me_ with a few tasks.”

“And what makes you think we’ll actually do it?” Zero asked. “We can just walk away from this mess, Ponytail. It isn’t like you’re quite fond of us to begin with.”

Takumi bit back the urge to punch him for the nickname.

“For people who have come from an era full of royals, you’d expect them to be more polite,” Takumi sighed. “Does a Royal and his servants eat a free meal, trash a person’s home and leave without paying a single coin? That sounds like quite a lousy crown royal if you ask me.”

“Do not listen to him, milord,” Owain exclaimed. “You are the most amazing crown prince anybody could even begin to ask for.”

“No, Owain,” Leon shook his head. “ _Surprisingly_ , Takumi is right.”

Takumi bit back the urge to strangle him for the low key insult.

“Any good royal and civil human being will pay for the damage that has been done,” Leon explained. “We agree to work for you to pay off our debt.”

“Great,” Takumi smiled. “Now let’s start with cleaning up this.”

He gestured to the chaos that still lay everywhere in his living room.

And he had to admit, he was slightly impressed at how well they managed to do afterwards since none of them appeared to be a butler or anything.

After cleaning up the whole mess the four had created, Takumi realized how empty and sad his living room kind of looked. Sighing, he went off to find a few things in his closet. Thankfully when he came back, everything in his house was still intact and the guys were still examining the room to see if there was any more damage.

“Okay, listen up!” Takumi lifted up a bag. “You can’t go around the city wearing clothing like that...especially armour.”

They all looked down at their attire, finding nothing wrong with what they were wearing.

“A while ago, Hinata gave me a bunch of clothes he didn’t need anymore,” Takumi explained, opening the bag. “So you guys are going to have to change into these.”

He tossed them all hoodies, pants and shirts. Pushing out an odd cardboard box, Takumi pointed towards it. “When your done changing put your clothes in here.”

“Think you can handle that, Prince Leon?”

Leon hated how the shorter male said his royal title as if it was an insult. As if being called a prince was supposed to be offensive.

“I can handle it,” he simply replied with a small smirk.

As they all held the clothing items, holding them in different angles, Takumi sent them all into the bathroom to change. He knew he was a guy as well, but he did not want to be scarred for life. Especially with all the lewd comments Zero was making that Takumi could still unfortunately hear through the door.

When they were all done (which took quite a while), Takumi had to admit that they actually looked like regular people from Cheve.

Then he had to muffle his laughter with his hand as he saw Leon.

“Hey, Mr.I-can-handle-it,” the silver haired man grinned. “Your sweater’s inside out.”

The blond flushed red before hastily taking the hoodie off and flipping it right side out.

“How was I supposed to know, I’m not used to the strange clothing here,” Leon muttered as Takumi continued to snicker.

“Actually, back in Nohr, you still wore things like your collar inside- I’m not helping am I?” Cyrus scratched the back of his neck as he slowly felt like shrinking. Takumi laughed harder while Leon glared at the knight, cheeks redder than before.

“What are these?” Owain asked, lifting up the zipper.

“Those are zippers,” Takumi explained after he stopped laughing. “You use them to close up the sweater if you get colder.”

“Here, repeat what I’m doing,” Takumi went to Leon’s sweater. “Since I highly doubt you’ll be able to do this yourself, I’ll demonstrate on your’s.”

Leon glared at the shorter man as he grabbed both zipper ends.

“You put this end in here,” Takumi pointed and attached the two zipper ends together.

“Then you pull up.”

Takumi pulled the zipper, zipping Leon’s hoodie. He accidentally pulled a bit too hard, pulling Leon forward a bit. Their faces were inches apart and Takumi cursed himself for noting how good looking the prince was. He felt his cheeks heat up and hoped the blond wouldn’t notice. After all he couldn’t be thinking about such things. Leon seemed to be an arrogant prick anyway and the last thing Takumi needed was to think he was even the least bit handsome.

Prying his gaze away from the other’s rich brown eyes, Takumi let go of the zipper and walked towards Cyrus.

“You’re doing it all wrong,” Takumi grumbled, having to do it for him. “Look even Zero got it right.”

As Takumi continued to help the other’s with their hoodies, Leon couldn’t help but think about the brief eye contact he shared with the younger male. He could’ve sworn he had seen honey eyes like those before, but couldn’t picture a face with it. Shaking it out of his head, he saw Takumi bring strange shoes.

“These are running shoes,” Takumi put a pair in front of each person. “You guys seem to have the same foot size as Hinata, so I think you’ll be fine.”

Running shoes seemed like a strange name. Couldn’t you run in shoes anyway? Leon tapped the pair in front of him with his foot, raising an eyebrow.

For the next hour, Takumi had to explain so many basic things from buildings to light bulbs. He felt like he was teaching a bunch of little kindergarteners.

After they finally got the hang of modern clothing, Takumi dragged them to the market, resisting the urge to laugh evilly as he forced the four to move boxes and supplies. Looking at his small note pad, Takumi checked off the fruits and vegetables they needed to transport.

Felicia, a long-time employee for the grocery store tried to greet him, but almost dropped the box she was carrying. Takumi helped her catch it before it fell as she placed it on the ground temporarily.

“You’d think I’d get better at carrying these things after five years,” the pink haired girl sighed, wiping the sweat off her forehead. “How's it going Takumi? What’s gotten you so happy?”

“Oh nothing,” Takumi grinned, checking off a few items. “Just enjoying my  
triumph while it lasts.”

“Triumph?” Felicia shrugged it off, noticing four men she had never seen before hulking supplies into the bed of Takumi’s truck. “Who are they?”

“Oh, they’re just my slaves,” Takumi clicked the ballpoint pen before shaking his head in disappointment, yelling,“Cyrus, you don’t throw them, you place them.”

Leon passed the box to Owain who passed it to Zero who then passed it to Cyrus who threw the box into the back of the pickup truck. They had survived countless days and nights of excruciating training in weaponry and combat. A bunch of boxes were nothing compared to that. Well, that was what they were all telling themselves repeatedly as they struggled to lift the boxes and hand them off to one another, sweating with aching limbs.

“Geez,” Takumi sighed, clicking his tongue, before turning to Felicia again. “Have a nice day, Felicia!”

“...oh, uh! You too,” Felicia tried to pick up the heavy box again, nearly toppling over. She walked off, unsure whether to feel confused over what just happened or proud of Takumi for finally making more friends.

Takumi smiled at the yellow note pad, checking off the last few supplies. “Almost done.”

Now all the four little workers needed to do was put in the last few boxes. He was quite thankful for their hard work since it would’ve taken much longer if he had done it himself like he was originally supposed to.

“Oi, Cyrus! What did I tell you before!” Takumi huffed. No matter how useful they proved themselves to be, they just found ways to make themselves useless again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You did it a good job,” Takumi nodded his head in approval, handing each of them a sandwich. “Even if Cyrus broke ten boxes.”

The five boys sat in the now empty pickup truck bed parked in a mostly empty parking lot, eating their sandwiches.

“Have we paid off our debt yet?” Cyrus asked, rubbing his sore neck.

“Oh poor, poor, innocent fool,” Takumi put a hand to his heart. “Thinking you can earn 800 dollars in a few hours working for a market.” _How naïve children could be._

Cyrus pouted a bit, nibbling his sandwich.

Takumi decided to ask a few questions this time. Switch it up a little.

“Okay, what was it like back then? You know in Nohr?” Takumi asked, playing with the wax paper wrapped around his sandwich.

“You believe us now?” Leon took a small bite of his food.

“You’re grown men who didn’t know what a zipper was,” Takumi dead panned. “No actor is that good.”

“Nohr always had such majestic horses,” Owain exclaimed, extending an arm in a dramatic fashion as he was remembering. “Their carriages were absolutely divine as well, far better than these weird ‘cars’ you have nowadays.”

Before Takumi could breathe out a short laugh and roll his eyes to Owain’s bold statement, his cell phone rang, causing the others to jump.

“Relax, relax,” Takumi wrapped the sandwich and placed it on his lap, pulling out the phone. “Cellphone remember?”

That was one of the hardest things to explain to the four earlier.

Checking to see who was calling, Takumi smiled.

“Hello,” Takumi said pressing the phone to his ear, wondering why his sister called.

“Hello,” Owain replied before Zero smacked him across the head.

Rolling his eyes, Takumi heard his sister speak.

“I’d like to talk to you,” Charlotte explained. “You know the coffee shop I visit all the time? I’ll meet you there.”

“Oh um, ok,” Takumi nodded his head even though Charlotte couldn’t really see him do so.“I’m actually close by, so I’ll see you soon.”

“Just get there as soon possible,” Charlotte sighed. “I’m heading there now.”

“Okay,” Takumi smiled a bit as Charlotte hung up (without a goodbye as usual).

The delivery they had just done was for a shop next to the cafe, so Takumi put the sandwich down and hopped out of the truck.

“I have to go somewhere real quick,” Takumi explained. “I’ll come back soon, so stay here.”

They nodded their heads before Takumi ran off. Leon watched as the shorter male left, wondering what got him so happy all of a sudden. Happier than torturing the four of them with work if that were even possible. He then noticed something slip out of the male’s jacket pocket, falling onto the pavement. But he was long gone before Leon could tell him.

Takumi opened the doors to the warm coffee shop, surprised to see Charlotte already there, sitting at a table sipping on a cup of coffee. He never understood what was so great about coffee, preferring tea over it any day, so he was glad that his sister didn’t buy him a drink. He waved when she noticed him and he sat down on the chair in front of her, admiring how nice and cozy the cafe was.

It had only been about a year since he reunited with his adopted family. When he was nine he had apparently been in an accident causing him to lose his memories from his life before. He somehow ended up in Valla, living with a nice family consisting of a daughter and mother, Azura and Arete.

Curious as to who his family was, Takumi did some searching for years. He didn’t find his biological family, but managed to find his adopted family, living in Cheve. Ever since then he lived in Cheve as well, finally happy to at least have found his mother and sister.

“I’m sorry if this is about earlier,” Takumi nervously laughed. “I hope Xander actually gave you the groceries. Oh and if you’re angry cause I put in a few pomegranates I’m sorry. I know you hate them, but there were so many left over-”

“Takumi,” Charlotte’s voice sounded stern and sharp, silencing him in an instant. “Look, it’s not about that.”

“You see, you came to where I work to deliver groceries,” the blonde explained, hands wrapping around the white mug on the table.

“Oh, well you said that I shouldn’t come to your apartment,” Takumi combed his fingers through a small section of his hair nervously. Where was this going exactly?

“You misunderstood me,” Charlotte took a sip from her coffee mug. “I didn’t want you delivering any groceries to me at all.”

Takumi never did get an explanation for why Charlotte told him to stop coming to her apartment. He was started to think that she didn’t want to scar him for life again after what happened the last time.

“I can stop doing that if you’d like,” Takumi said quietly, biting his lip.

“Listen, when people see you with me they begin asking me who you are,” Charlotte continued. “And it’s always hard for me to answer.”

What was so hard about explaining who he was? He was her adoptive brother, wasn’t he?

“Imagine you’re in my position,” Charlotte picked at her sky blue painted nails. “We’re siblings who don’t share a single drop of blood.”

“What are you trying to imply here?” Takumi asked, fingers suddenly freezing in the small tangles of his hair.

“Let’s go back to how things were a year ago,” Charlotte explained. “When I didn’t know you and you didn’t know me.”

After all those years trying to find even one person he could call family, she was telling him to act like he never did. It felt like she had just slapped him across the face. It hit him hard.

“Was it something that I did?” Takumi bit his lip, hurt to hear those words from one of the only people he could actually call a relative. He thought family was supposed to stick together, through thick and thin. Love and care for another. That was one of the reasons why Takumi tried so hard to find his.

“It’s nothing like that,” Charlotte replied simply, giving him a sympathetic smile. “It was trying to act like we were family. Trying to force a connection that wasn’t there to begin with.”

“But…”

“No more calling me sister or trying to get close,” she said. “We just weren’t meant to be brother and sister.”

“Think about it,” Charlotte got up from her seat. “It’s for the best.”

Takumi watched as the blonde head disappeared from his view, designed high heels clicking away. Slumping in his seat, Takumi frowned, wondering how Charlotte could remain so intact while he was falling apart. How could she look him in the eye and say that to his face?

All he wanted was a legitimate family, adopted or biological. He just wanted to have someone to call a sister or even a brother. So of course he was overjoyed when he finally found Charlotte and her mother. Did she feel this way when they first met again? Had she really been ashamed of him, unable to even call him her brother in front of others?

Now his only sibling threw him aside saying it was for the best. Considering how Charlotte seemed to feel the whole time, maybe it was.

Suddenly remembering he had four idiots to take care of, Takumi groaned, getting up and leaving the coffee shop. His once steady life was becoming more and more chaotic. A whole mess that nothing could fix. Not even 800 dollars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leon hopped out from the back of the pickup truck, walking to the strange object that had fallen out of Takumi’s pocket. They were twine dolls, one man and one woman attached together by a string with what Leon believed to be seeds of a plant. The dolls’ hands were tied behind their backs. Sighing, Leon couldn’t help but shake his head. How could Takumi be so careless?

“Prince Leon, where are you going?” Zero asked as he began to walk away.

“Takumi dropped something, so I’ll go return it to him,” Leon explained, before putting a hand up to stop his friends who were about to jump out of the back as well. “You stay here.”

Leon walked around, searching for the silver haired male. He couldn’t have gone far since during the phone call, Takumi said they were close by to whomever was calling.

He still needed to figure out what was so crucial in 2016 in order to solve the case.

Leon stared at the strange twine dolls in his hands as he continued to walk. Another mystery Leon had to try to solve was why Takumi had been carrying them in his pocket. It was kind of creepy.

As his gaze tore away from the figures, he looked up to see a woman walk past him in white heels. Her long wavy blonde hair blew gently in the breeze as her pale blue eyes met his briefly.

Leon felt his heart stop. He felt the world around him freeze, yet the woman continued to walk, footsteps echoing in his mind. He felt like calling to her, but couldn’t muster a sound.

That face. He could never forget her face. But her smile, her eyes, her everything belonged to the Nohr from the past. So why was he seeing her in the apparent modern times? In the future? What did this mean?

Why was Calla here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Takumi would've preferred cosplayers...
> 
> Takumeme's past with his adoptive family(without spoiling too much): so Takumi ended up being in a car accident when he was trapped in a moving truck traveling across the border after (you can guess who) ditched him. He ended up in a Vallite hospital but could not remember his life before, ending up living temporarily with Azura and Arete XD.
> 
> Another antagonist will be revealed in the next chapter..hehe


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reincarnation proves to be a big role in fulfilling the four time travelers' journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold onto your seats guys, cause it's going to get crazier! And fluffier!...and eventually sadder.
> 
> So, in this chapter a new antagonist has been introduced for the story. And...well let's just say in that scene it goes from 0 to 100 real quick. 
> 
> Also Leon will become Leo next chapter XD. I feel so used to writing Leon here though, but for my other fics I'm so used to writing Leo.
> 
> Anyways hope you enjoy!

“Hey, idiot,” Takumi flicked Leon who was standing there like a statue. “What did I say about staying there?”

Takumi waved a hand in front of the taller blond’s face. “Leon? You alright?”

“What?” Leon snapped out of his daze, finding Takumi suddenly by his side. When did he get here?

“Why are you by yourself? You could’ve gotten lost, you dope,” Takumi sighed.

Leon couldn’t stop thinking about his wife. He had seen her moments before, but reminded himself of the reason why he had left the car in the first place.

“Well, the only dope here is the guy who dropped this,” Leon dangled the twine dolls in front of Takumi’s face before the shorter man snatched them out of his hand, putting them back in his pockets.

“What are those anyway?” Leon asked as the two began to walk back to the car.

“Just something I carry around,” Takumi kicked a pebble on the ground. “Let’s go back quickly. The others are probably fussing over where their precious prince is.”

There it was again. Somehow making royalty sound like a bash. It was especially offensive since the shorter male actually made the title seem disdainful.

“Am I supposed to be insulted because of that?” Leon breathed out a laugh.

Takumi glared at him, looking like he was about to say something before smiling and running off.

“What are you-”

“If I get to the car first, I’m driving off without you!” Takumi yelled as he ran, jingling the keys.

Leon wasn’t sure if he was joking or not, hesitating slightly before sprinting to catch up.

Insufferable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leon sighed, opening the door that lead to the rooftop as he walked outside for some fresh air. His three friends were quite unsure when he said he saw the crown princess earlier that day. But he knew his wife’s face when he saw it. So he was not going insane like they had suggested.

He suddenly felt a rush of warmth, realizing that he actually got the chance to see his lover’s face again when he thought he never would be able to.

They all drove back to the rooftop house where Takumi gave everyone a pair of pajamas, set up two futons and one sleeping bag. He told one person to sleep on the couch, which Owain and Cyrus insisted be Leon. However, he insisted Cyrus to take it. As the two debated, Zero ended up claiming the couch and Takumi thought for a few seconds that the white haired man was going to flip them off (if he knew what that gesture was).

Leon was surprised to see a familiar figure, arms resting on the rooftop wall that created a barrier. He was wearing an oversized grey hoodie and blue pajama pants. The silver haired boy was carrying a container that Leon had never seen before. The prince walked over to stand beside the other, staring at the city.

He remembered how the buildings amazed him the first time he saw them. They were still mesmerizing now and Takumi had to go through the torture of teaching them all these things.

“Come out here to think too?” Leon asked, slightly surprising the other.

“Yeah,” Takumi pushed the white nib of the container he was holding putting a dollop of white cream in his mouth.

“What are you doing?” Leon asked curiously.

“Getting drunk on whipped cream,” Takumi sighed, eyes scanning the brightly lit city before him.

“That has alcohol in it?” Leon asked surprised, staring at the bottle. It didn’t look like it had any liquor in it and the other seemed sober at the moment.

Takumi burst out laughing. “No, you idiot!”

“Then why did you…” Leon started before Takumi raised a hand to stop him.

“Open your mouth,” Takumi instructed, shaking the bottle of whipped cream. Leon raised an eyebrow, hesitant before opening his mouth.

The younger man sprayed some whipped cream into the blond’s mouth.

It tasted sweet and light. Obviously, where Leon came from, there was cream, but none as soft and delicate like this whipped cream since most creams had to be mixed and made by hand.

“People usually tend to become drunk when they’re upset and given the chance,” Leon pointed out as Takumi ate more whipped cream. “So what’s bothering you?”

“Just...life,” Takumi sighed. “I moved to this city a year ago thinking my life would be better here. Now I’m really not so sure anymore.”

Unknowingly, both men were thinking about Charlotte, for two completely different reasons. One hurt from what had happened earlier while the other seemed to wonder whether or not this was why the magic took him there.

“But you know, nothing a little whipped cream can’t fix,” Takumi shook the container. “So what’s on your mind?”

“Takumi, do you believe in reincarnation?” Leon asked almost immediately after.

“Why are you asking?” Takumi titled his head slightly in confusion.

“Cause I believe that I was brought here from the past because some of the people I knew back then have been reincarnated in this era,” Leon explained. “I believe that I was brought into 2016 for that reason.”

“Wow,” Takumi breathed. “I was right.”

“My life is becoming more and more messed up.”

Leon raised an eyebrow before sighing. “Pass the bottle.”

Takumi looked up at Leon questioningly before giving the whipped cream to the prince.

Leon pushed the nib of the can, but put way too much cream in his mouth, causing it to fall making a mess everywhere. Takumi burst out laughing again as the taller boy glared at him. The blond set the whipped cream container down onto the rooftop ledge.

The two continued to stare into the city view enjoying the silence for a bit to think.

Takumi felt flooded with countless thoughts about what his life has come to. He had to think about some of the good aspects of living in Cheve. After all he had been mulling over the bad instances so far. He had to remember that he had a house, although struggling to pay for it, he had one. He also had a job. It didn’t pay much, but at least he had one.

“Give me your hands,” Leon demanded suddenly, shocking Takumi a bit.

Takumi hesitantly put both his hands into Leon’s awaiting cold ones, blushing as he did so.

“I was right,” Leon smiled a bit, causing Takumi to question what he just agreed to. “My hands were cold so I wanted to see if your hands were warm enough to heat mine.”

Takumi scowled before yanking his hands free and ushering Leon back inside. He was not going to become a personal human hand warmer.

“The night chill isn't for weaklings!” Takumi exclaimed as they both went back inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Charlotte tapped her fingers on the cafe table frowning. What was taking him so long? The blonde twirled a lock of hair around her finger just as the man she was waiting for arrived.

“Why hello, Charlotte,” Zola smiled, sitting down in front of her. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“You asked me to come here,” Charlotte rolled her eyes. “So what did you want?”

Zola smiled, eyes crinkling around the edges. “Just wanted to make sure everything was alright and in line between us.”

Charlotte’s face twisted into a scowl, glaring at the older man.

“Of course, everything is fine,” she sighed. This man had to call her every five seconds to make sure she didn't betray him. “You don’t have a to interrogate me all the time. You know, people are starting the think that we’re actually friends right?”

“No need to be so harsh Charlotte,” Zola chuckled. “You can’t blame me for hassling you everyday. After all I am dealing with a liar.”

Charlotte held her breath after hearing the man’s words. She was a liar. A good liar. So how he found out about her real family and background, she had no idea. The fact that for all her time as secretary he had been breathing down her neck threatening to expose her secrets.

“I don’t know, if the word ever got out somehow,” Zola continued as Charlotte gulped down a lump in her throat. “How do you think that young girl, Elise is gonna feel. The lady she looked up to for so long was in fact fake. A liar. Too uninteresting and boring she had to make up her own stories about her life to get a job at a company like Corrin.”

“Nobody wants a liar working in their company,” the pale blond man sneered.

Charlotte hated when he used this against her, almost making her waver everyday. However, he always seemed to forget that she had something up her sleeve as well.

Charlotte smiled sweetly, almost scaring the other, “Nobody wants a murderer either.”

Zola paled at that, duly noting to stop his teasing when it came to the blonde secretary.

Although Charlotte didn’t know how Zola came to know her true background story and life, he definitely knew how Charlotte came to the knowledge of his terrible deed he committed a year ago.

“A fail at one as well,” Charlotte continued to smile innocently, words not matching the expression on her face. “I mean, who accidentally kills four people instead of the one person they were intending to?”

She never meant any harm going to the bar that night after having a stressful day of work. She just wanted a few glasses, however Zola was drinking away, gulping down two bottles himself. He was drunk beyond words, talking to the very sober Charlotte.

She almost choked on her own drink when he broke down, sobbing and confessing to what he had done.

Zola was one of Garon’s favourite workers earning assistant manager. Since Garon owned half the company of Corrin, Zola was obviously aiming to become the next successor to the growing ill man since he was trained and was one of his chosen apprentices. However, Garon announced that the next person to take his share of the company would be his eldest son, Xander.

Enraged that he was the second option if anything were to happen to Xander, Zola hijacked the car the blond man would ride, a few days after the announcement. However, Xander did not ride in that car as Zola had predicted, foiling his plans.

The car crashed into a lake, presumably killing anyone in it.

“Poor Xander, Elise and Camilla,” Charlotte fanned her eyes as if she was about to cry. “Thinking that Leo, Silas, Niles and Odin are simply missing. Unfortunate that you’re the reason why they won’t ever be coming back.”

If it was revealed that Zola had killed them, it would also be revealed that his true intention was to kill Garon’s eldest son to claim the company for himself if the time came.

“Which one sounds worse?” Charlotte asked, tilting her head slightly. “A liar or a murderer?”

“Oh, that’s right!” Charlotte gasped, smiling again. “You’re both, aren’t you?”

The woman got up from her seat, having nothing left to say to the other, walking out of the cafe. She hardly cared if the man was glaring daggers at her back. She simply grinned to herself, winning whatever game Zola was attempting to play.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi, already dressed for the day, banged two small frying pans together, waking up the four sleeping men.

“Up! Get up!” He continued to make a racket as three of them stirred awake.

Cyrus groaned before immediately getting up and stopping Takumi from continuing to clang the pans together. He shook his head as if warning him.

“Please, don’t Takumi,” he exclaimed.

“And why not?” Takumi asked, about to start making noise again.

“The prince is always a late sleeper and becomes really grumpy in the mornings if he’s woken up early,” Zero explained, stretching as he got up as well. “He’s always such a pain to wake up.”

“Plus, he looks so adorable sleeping like that,” Owain gestured to the sleeping prince. “Who wants to startle awake that?”

Takumi looked over at Leon who was snuggled warmly in blankets, his blonde bangs falling messily on his forehead. His cheeks were a slight pink and Takumi could see a bit of a smile on the prince’s lips. He seemed so at peace and content.

“Aw, okay. I won’t bang the frying pans,” Takumi sighed, putting the pans back into the kitchen.

Much to the other's horror, Takumi came back grabbed a pillow and smacked Leon in the head with it.

“Wake up slugabed!” Takumi yelled, Leon grimacing and opening his eyes only to get a pillow to his face again.

“I’m up! I’m up!” he scowled as Takumi tossed the pillow aside, clapping his hands together.

“Alright,” Takumi exclaimed. “Go get ready! We have another day of work in store for us.”

Takumi cleaned up the kitchen a bit as the others changed, opening the fridge to find that most of his supplies were gone. Frowning, he tapped his fingers on the kitchen counter, closing the fridge. He had enough for breakfast and lunch. What was he going to cook for dinner?

Sighing, Takumi checked the time quickly, getting an idea. He had enough time before their first job, so he could stop by the convenience store real quick and buy instant noodles. The solution to everything.

After hustling his four ducklings out of the house, he had to stop Leon, flip his inside out hoodie, facepalm and then head off to the local convenience store.

“Just grabbing what we’ll eat for dinner,” Takumi explained, parking the truck. “It’s a good learning experience, so follow me.”

Entering the store, Takumi couldn’t help but crack a smile at how amazed they all looked. Even Leon seemed to be endorsed in exploring the small shop, mindlessly following each aisle. Takumi picked up the instant noodles before turning around to see Owain curiously holding up a pack of marshmallows.

“What are these?” He asked, poking the treat, reveling at how squishy the white cylinders were.

Takumi was thankful that they all knew how markets worked and weren’t trying to open anything and eat it. He sometimes felt bad for doubting them so much.

“They’re marshmallows,” Takumi explained, walking over to the cashier. “They’re sweet, but in my opinion taste like pure sugar.”

Owain stared at the package, a captivated look on his face which made Takumi extremely nervous.

“Can we purchase it?” he asked as Takumi gave the confused cashier lady his desired items.

“No,” Takumi said sternly, quickly turning away just in case the blond tried to pull a puppy pout.

The cashier lady who was chewing on a piece of gum, bagged the packages of noodles, handing it to Takumi who thanked her kindly.

“Put them back where you found them, Owain,” Takumi ordered as Owain frowned, walking away, no doubt sulking.

He sighed glancing at the cashier who was still extremely confused and Takumi didn’t want to waste the time and energy explaining that four men randomly showed up in his home and now he was responsible for them.

Absentmindedly reaching into his pocket, his eyes widened realizing that it was empty. He looked at the floor around him, eyes scanning the tiles trying to find them. He dropped them somewhere. Where were those twine dolls?

Not again. This couldn’t be happening again. Takumi decided to ask his neighbour Oboro to give his jacket better pockets. Nearly crashing into Zero and Cyrus, apologizing afterwards, it dawned on him that he could’ve dropped it outside. Groaning, he ran to the cashier briefly apologizing if the four did anything stupid before running out the door.

Eyes fixated on the concrete ground, he couldn’t find anything. Sighing in disappointment, Takumi turned around to walk back to the convenience store, nearly crashing into somebody, immediately apologizing.

“Please do not crash into me again,” Xander let out a small chuckle as Takumi realized who it was.

“Oh lord. I’m so sorry...again,” Takumi stammered, turning red out of embarrassment. What kind of idiot collides into the same person twice?

“It’s alright. Are you delivering groceries again?” Xander asked, noticing the bag in Takumi’s hand.

Quite ironic that the person who delivered groceries for others purchased groceries for himself.

“No, actually I-”

“Did Zola return with your coffee, Xander?” Charlotte smoothed her wrinkle free white skirt, sashaying to stand next to the taller man. Her blue eyes caught sight of Takumi, immediately widening. She looked up at her boss and then at Takumi, feeling her blood start to boil. Was he endorsing in a conversation with Xander? After she told him to stay away from her life?

“Ah, not yet Secretary Charlotte,” Xander replied, failing to notice the quick exchange between the two. “You’re always so impatient.”

“We should go find him then,” Charlotte suggested, glaring at Takumi quite subtly if that was even possible. “You should go back to your job, shouldn’t you?”

Her words were laced with ice and venom, basically telling him to back off (except replacing the ‘back’ with another four letter word that ended with a ‘k’).

Meanwhile, Leon was examining a bunch of bagged items. He walked along the shelf, foot kicking something across the floor. Kneeling down to pick it up, Leon sighed, managing to find the twine dolls once again. Shaking his head, Leon was no doubt going to hold this against the other. Having to return it to its owner twice was an opportunity to tease the other that Leon wasn’t going to pass.

Grinning a bit, Leon looked around the store for the shorter male. Believing he went outside, the blond left the store, carrying the strange dolls in hand.

An older man with light blond hair, dressed in a suit almost crashed into him. A gold plate on his suit identified him as Zola.

“I’m sor-,” Zola froze at the sight, dropping the warm coffee he had been holding as his hands began to tremor, apology dying in his throat.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was his mind tricking him, wasn’t it? It had to be. Cause it was impossible for him to see such a sight with his mind clear and straight. He...he _killed_ him. He killed him a year ago. So how was he standing, perfectly healthy and normal right in front of Zola?

“How are you…?”

This didn’t make sense. How was he there? Zola was just hallucinating. He was simply going crazy.

“Are you alright?” Leon asked, stepping a bit closer to the man. He had went pale, face appearing colourless. He looked like he was about to vomit or pass out. Or both. The prince put a hand onto the other’s shoulder as he began to shake slightly.

Suddenly, the once lost and troubled expression on the man’s face disappeared, twisting into pure anger and rage.

Leon was slammed into the wall, barely managing to hold onto the twine dolls in his hands tightly. The man’s hand was gripping harshly onto his shoulder, holding him against the brick wall, nails digging into his flesh.

Zola looked at the boy’s face again. He had to be a fake. He had to.

“Who are you? Tell me now!”

Leon swallowed a lump in his throat as the blond man gritted his teeth.

He looked into pale blue eyes, searching for a sign for the sudden attack. He then noticed something concealed by the anger he was acting on. An expression everyone felt. Something that knew how to break someone bit by bit. Fear.

The prince held onto the twine, feeling it dig into his sweaty palm.

“Tell me!” the man spat.

He was Prince Leon of Nohr.

But Takumi warned him not to go around introducing himself like that to other people. He said that he’d be considered crazy if he did so in a serious tone. Gulping again, Leon didn’t know how to answer the question that seemed to drive the other mad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Did something happen between you two?” Xander finally seemed to catch on to the tension between them. It only took him awhile.

_Yes, Xander something did._

But of course, Charlotte had to speak before he could, reassuring Xander that there was nothing wrong, when by just one look at her would reveal that all she wanted to do was shove Takumi in front of a moving bus.

Takumi almost frowned, still saddened from their last conversation before catching himself, reminded of the kind soon-to-be CEO in front of him. Glancing a bit past the taller man, Takumi’s eyes widened. A weird, nicely dressed male was yelling and shoving Leon against a wall, looking extremely angry. There was a cup of coffee lying helplessly on the ground, spilled beyond repair.

Did Leon cause some guy to drop his coffee and piss him off or something? Either way, the guy looked like he was ready to slap the crown prince so Takumi sprung into action. He shoved the grocery bag into Charlotte’s arms, having no time to look at her shocked expression. Before Xander could ask what he was doing, he ran past the two.

“Hey!” Takumi yelled, the man (known as Zola by the name tag on his suit) turned to face him.

Zola seemed to ignore the silver haired man, raising back a hand blinded by anger and confusion. Was he seriously going to hit Leon?

Takumi blocked the blow with his forearm, wincing in pain before shoving the man onto the ground. Rubbing his bruising arm, Takumi watched Charlotte and Xander run over to Zola who was on the floor.

Charlotte had her back towards him which was expected. It still stung seeing her act like that towards him though. She left the grocery bag on the ground and Takumi picked it up, still holding his throbbing forearm. As Charlotte was helping Zola, Xander stood up to face Takumi and Leon.

“I apologize. Zola isn’t like this,” Xander said, looking at Takumi before his gaze landed on Leon, eyes widening.

His heart beat faster as he took a small step towards him. His younger brother had been missing for so long.

“L-Leo?”

Leon tilted his head in confusion. He was pretty sure that this blond man didn’t pronounce his name incorrectly and generally thought of him to be some other person. Either way, Leon didn’t appreciate it very much, especially after being so shaken from before. Was this guy going to attack him as well?

Suddenly he was in an embrace and was way too weirded out from the events prior. He needed space. He needed time to think things through, but with people coming out of nowhere he couldn’t piece the puzzle of scattered thoughts together properly.

“Where have you been all this time?”

“Pardon?” Leon was beyond confused at this point.

“Our family has been worried sick over you,” Xander explained.

Lightly shoving the man off of him, Leon gave him a pitiful smile. “I-I’m sorry, but I don’t know who Leo is. I should um... go now.”

There was so much hurt in his purple eyes, making Leon feel immense guilt. But he also couldn’t let this person believe him to be ‘Leo.’

Moving away from him, Leon turned and walked away, back to the truck where he seemed to be much safer.

Takumi stepped forward to go after him, but was immediately stopped by the sound of the store door opening. Owain, Zero and Cyrus dashed out of the corner store, heading towards the car as the cashier stood at the doorway, scowling. Takumi allowed himself to facepalm before turning to Xander.

“I’m so sorry,” he sighed before running after them. “You idiots!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi stood crossing his arms in front of them. He glared, clicking his tongue.

“What did you take?” he hissed as the three guilty men handed their stolen goods.

Cyrus took out a pack of gum, Owain pulled the bag of marshmallows out from his hood and Zero...Zero dumped packs of counter candy from his pockets, pulling out bags of food from his hood and unzipping his hoodie to reveal more processed foods.

“All of it,” Takumi ordered.

Zero sighed, rummaging through his pants before Takumi stopped him. “You know what, never mind.”

“You. What did you take?” Takumi asked as Leon was shaken out of his thoughts.

“I assure you I didn’t steal anything,” Leon truthfully said as Takumi glared at him.

“What’s in your hand?” the silver haired man pressed.

Leon smirked, tossing the twine dolls. Takumi caught them, having forgotten they were missing. Smiling a bit, he decided to keep them in the grocery bag for the time being since his pockets were unreliable. He reverted back to a scowl, poking all their foreheads.

“Don’t steal things,” he scolded, looking at Leon before saying,“And don’t start fights.”

“I didn’t-”

“Put the food in the car and hop in,” Takumi explained, cutting the prince off. “We have a special job to do for a friend of mine.”

As Zero picked up his treasures and the others got into the pickup truck, two feeling ashamed and one feeling quite proud, Leon was stuck balling his hands into fists and gritting his teeth.

“Truly insufferable,” he hissed, opening the passenger door and climbing in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“My friend Orochi needs some help cleaning her future shop,” Takumi explained as they entered an empty lot. “She’s paying us to help mop the floors, clean the walls and windows and all in all making this place look more presentable.”

“Think we can handle that?”

They all nodded their heads, grabbing the cleaning supplies. As Takumi washed the windows, Cyrus and Owain cleaned the walls, Zero mopped the floors and Leon scrubbed on the tiles. Although it took a while before the prince’s servants allowed the royal to even touch the cleaning supplies, claiming it wasn’t his duty.

As he washed each smooth tile with the soapy water, he couldn’t help but think about what had happened in the morning. Two people believed he was someone else, one calling him Leo. Who was this Leo? And where was he?

All this time, he was convinced that there was reincarnation of his beloved wife, but never considered whether he had a reincarnation himself. And if this Leo guy was him, then what happened to him? Did he die?

Grabbing a towel to dry off the water, Leon hissed as he drew his hand back, unexpectedly cutting his finger slightly after scraping a chipped tile. And he thought they were smooth tiles.

“Oh my! Milord, you’re bleeding!” Owain yelped, dropping his cloth and running over to the prince. Takumi poked his head from outside after hearing Owain’s cries of distress, proclaiming that Leon had a battle wound.

Takumi looked at the small cut as it bled ever so slightly. Pulling a tissue out, he instructed Leon to wipe away any blood with it as he went to the pharmacy across the street for some band aids.

Humming to himself, Takumi purchased the bandages (resisting the urge to buy princess ones to embarrass the royal), finding Leon sitting outside.

“They banished me from work, claiming it was too dangerous for my wound until you came back with medical supplies,” Leon explained, sighing.

Takumi simply laughed before opening the box and pulling out one band aid. After peeling off the wax paper, he grabbed a hold of Leon’s pale hand, wrapping it around his slender finger.

“This is a band aid,” Takumi explained as Leon bent his finger a few times, staring at it. “It’s used to cover small cuts, blisters and injuries.”

Leon continued to examine his finger before his eyes landed on the purple bruise forming on the other boy’s forearm. Taking out another band aid, Leon failed to ever thank the shorter male for blocking the blow that was intended for his face earlier. Grabbing Takumi’s arm, he opened the band aid and placed it on the bruise forming.

Takumi didn’t know whether to laugh or glare at the other.

“It’s not for bruises dummy,” Takumi pouted, poking the band aid on his bruise. “This is gonna hurt like hell when I take it off.”

Takumi stood up, prompting Leon to stop him. “Where are you going?”

“Back to work. We can’t let those three do all the cleaning,” Takumi looked at the others, wiping clean the windows and floors.

“Hm. Actually we can,” Leon smiled evilly as Takumi immediately recognized such wickedness in the man’s brown eyes.

“You know my finger is still aching pretty bad,” Leon sighed, overexagerrating the pain as Takumi breathed a laugh. “That bruise of yours probably hurts a lot too. Looks like us handicapped folk can’t work at the moment.”

“Handicapped?” Takumi sat back down beside the blond, watching the busy streets of the city. People walked by, some leisurely and most hurriedly. Some staring at the world around them and most doing something on their cell phone.

“Hey, um Takumi?” Leon asked, wondering why of all people to confide his thoughts to he went with him. “Do you remember that man from earlier. The blond one?”

“Leon, there were two blond men,” Takumi frowned. “In fact everyone there was blond, including you. I was the only one who wasn’t.”

“Okay, okay,” Leon let out a small laugh. “But I meant the one who didn’t attack me at first sight.”

“Oh, Xander?” Takumi combed his fingers through his long hair, slowly and gently untangling rough knots. “What about him?”

“Well for starters he hugged me,” Leon explained. “And he also called me ‘Leo’ and started to ask me where I had been for all of these years, suggesting I was missing or something along those lines.”

“So I was just beginning to wonder who he was,” Leon tapped his fingers against his own knee.

“I don’t honestly know him that much either. I’ve only met him once before,” Takumi bit the inside of his cheek, nearly cringing at the embarrassing first encounter. “All I know about him is that he works at that extremely big and famous company Corrin.”

“Corrin?”

“Yup. They make loads of products and team up with the best producers out there,” Takumi nodded his head. “They sell things from kitchen necessities to makeup products. They even manufacture the clothing you’re wearing right now.”

Leon pressed his lips together. Leo was someone who was associated with the company. But he perhaps died or went missing allowing Leon to be brought by the spell. After all if Leo was a reincarnation of the crown prince then you couldn’t have two of the same soul walking around. It wouldn’t be possible for that to happen.

“The family that owns it is literally bathing in money,” Takumi sighed, wondering why his life couldn’t be as fortunate. “The company owner’s daughters Camilla and Elise are pretty known around here. They’re usually models for clothing and makeup products, but I don’t really know anything about his two sons.”

“A father with four children seems a bit much,” Leon was grateful for his small family consisting of his younger sister and father back in his era.

Before Takumi could even begin continuing the conversation, a wet towel plopped onto the prince’s head, shocking both men.

“And that’s for making us do all the wo- dear lord!” Cyrus gasped, turning away in slight fear and shame. He meant to throw the towel at Takumi, but unfortunately over shot it.

“And that’s why you stick to stabbing people up close,” Zero grunted, but chuckled a bit at the sight of Leon with a soaked towel sitting on his head. “But my my, Prince Leon you look quite dashing today. Did you do something with your hair?”

“Why thank you, Zero,” Leo pulled the cloth off his head and stared at it with disgust. “I’ll have you know that water and eyepatches do not go well together.”

Zero made a run for it as he got the hint. Leo flung water at everyone, spending his sweet time on dunking the soapy solution when it came to Cyrus. Owain was getting drenched as Zero used him as a human shield and somehow despite all of that Takumi got out of it unscathed. He did have a band aid on his bruise though, which made the victorious moment short lived.

The shop space that Orochi had asked him to clean looked great despite the water fight they had at the front. As Takumi received the money, he had to hide the fact that the other four were covered in cleaning water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Takumi handed everyone forks, he prepared the ramen having boiled water. He had taken the band aid off and he was correct. It hurt.

Leon ate his food gratefully and abnormally silently. He was busy thinking about the man, known as Xander. Xander called him Leo, which meant there was someone out there who looked like him. He wanted to know more about this Leo. What happened to him? Who was he?

And why would Zola attack Leo at first sight?

“Takumi?” Leon suddenly said.

“Hm?” Takumi was busy putting away clean dishes into his small cupboards.

“About that Xander guy from earlier,” Leon noticed his friends’ confused looks. “I would like you to take me to him.”

“What?” Takumi paused before picking up a plate. “Why?”

Did Leo just have an epiphany of some sort in the course of just one day?

“Do you remember when I mentioned reincarnation?” Leon noticed his friends looking even more confused.

“Well, I believe that I have my own reincarnation in this era as well,” he continued.

“Okay,” Takumi breathed, wondering why the universe believed that they could just make his life crazier by the second. “So what are you implying right now?”

“Maybe pretending to be ‘Leo’ can benefit my friends and I with our task,” Leon glanced to see the other three catch on and nod their heads slightly.

“I can’t help you commit identity theft or fraud,” Takumi shook his head. He was not getting dragged into another mess.

“It’s not exactly identity theft or fraud when we’re technically the same person,” Leon retorted. “We’re just the same soul from two different eras.”

“Okay, but what if the real Leo comes back or shows up?” Takumi pointed out, still not about to give his consent to any of this.

“A reincarnation is a rebirth of one soul,” Leon explained as everyone else decided to begin eating again. “I believe that as long as I am alive with my soul, Leo won’t be…”

“You’re saying Leo is dead?” Takumi gaped. Did whatever magic that bring the four there kill Leo so the crown prince could inhabit in the modern times?

“Not necessarily,” Leon sighed.

“Look this is already crazy enough with you guys coming from the past and living in my house,” Takumi frowned. “I don’t need you to start pretending to be someone else’s brother okay?”

“I promise this will do no harm to you,” Leon said. “And if this plan ever does fail, I will make sure that it would seem as if you were never involved in it.”

 _Don’t make promises you can’t keep, prince_. If he really needed to do this to do whatever he needed to do in this era, then who was Takumi to stop what fate had decided?

Takumi sighed. “It’s not just me I’m worried about if you plan on doing this.”

“But fine,” Takumi took a deep breath. “I’ll try to take you to meet Xander tomorrow.”

Leon managed a small smile before everyone went back to silently eating their dinner.

If fate had brought him here to solve the murder with reincarnations from the past, even giving Leon one himself, then that meant that he had to go through with this plan.

After all he also needed to find out what had happened to the real Leo and also figure out who had assassinated his beloved wife. He’d have to thank the universe later for throwing two mysteries at him to solve later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys want to kill those two blond and blue eyed meanies? Cause they'll do plenty of bad things in the future (evil laugh)
> 
> And yes, Leon is going to pretend to be Leo and his friends are going to be Silas, Niles and Odin. And if you guys are wondering and freaking out...no the real Leo, Silas, Niles and Odin are not dead. They're just in a state that doesn't involve them being conscious (cough, cough, wink, wink. Foreshadowing!) 
> 
> And the twine dolls that keep showing up will be explained in a future chapter (so Takumi isn't some creepy person who just carries those things around occasionally and I know he kind of seems like he is)
> 
> There will be more interesting stuff next chapter between the two stubborn babies...but there will also be some scenes with Charlotte and Leo (my heart breaks while writing it!)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon's plan succeeds so far as he takes the identity of Leo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! And here is another chapter!
> 
> A.k.a where Leon/Leo's confused feelings begin XD
> 
> This one took a while to edit, so I kind of reread it over and over and over again. And if there are still mistakes please feel free to tell me because I think I just skim read everything by the fiftieth edit. 
> 
> As usual I hope you enjoy reading this chapter! This one comes with some cute Takumi and Leo scenes hehe. It makes up for what's gonna happen in the next chapter...

Takumi bit his lip nervously as they entered the fancy building once again. Everything looked just as stunning as the first time, even more so if possible. He had spoken with the lady at the front desk who had that judging look in her eye as she studied him from head to toe. And he honestly couldn’t blame her for raising an arched eyebrow since he did look like some regular citizen with no absolute reason to be at a place like Corrin.

Despite all that, she did call for Xander to come down to the lobby as he had a few guests. Takumi paced back and forth nervously as Leon stood patiently.

Takumi was so anxious he didn’t even tease the prince when they found out his shirt was inside out. He was more nervous than the one who was actually going to talk to the businessman.

When he caught sight of the tall blond, he had a short-lived freak out before forcing himself to appear calmer. However, he only grew more uncomfortable at the sight of an all too familiar woman trailing behind him.

“Hello again,” Xander greeted the shorter man kindly. His maroon eyes landed on Leon, noticeably becoming a bit more surprised.

“H-hi,” Takumi breathed, scratching the back of his neck. “Well um the pr-He wanted to um speak with you. So I’m just gonna go now.”

_Nice, Takumi. Way to ruin everything._

He awkwardly left the two to it and walked over to the couches near the entrance sitting down. Nearly startling him Charlotte walked over standing near him, glaring at him, scowling as they made eye contact. She made sure not to come too close to him as if someone would claim that she was friends with him if she stepped any closer.

“You’re not delivering groceries or anything,” Charlotte said, smoothing the wrinkles on her white blazer. “So why are you here?”

“I was just bringing Leon-oh...I was just bringing Leo here,” Takumi explained, shifting uncomfortably in the plush seat, nearly cringing at his rookie mistake. Much to his relief the secretary didn’t seem to catch on to his slip up.

“You agree with me right?” Charlotte asked calmly. “That it was all for the best?”

Takumi stayed silent after that. He really wasn’t sure. Was it really for the best to leave a possible sibling relationship sour? Or was that just for the greater good?

He could feel the blonde’s cold blue eyes piercing through the armour he failingly tried to put on to shield himself from her gaze. As if she realized how hostile she had been becoming, she picked up her shattered image and changed her demeanor to one more kind as if the two were having a friendly conversation. When it was the exact opposite of that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After greeting Xander, Leon noticed the secretary standing next to him. He resisted the urge to pull his past lover into a hug. He also only gave her a brief glance, watching her walk away, reminding himself that he was there to talk to Xander.

“I apologize if this is about Zola,” Xander sighed. “He was just shocked to see you.”

Leon also resisted the urge to comment on that.

“No, I’m fine,” Leon shook his head slightly. “I just came here to ask you a few things about yesterday.”

Xander raised an eyebrow telling the prince to continue.

“Well you see, you called me Leo the day before,” Leon explained. “And I really don’t know anything about this Leo person. Except for the fact that he looks exactly like me.”

“You truly do look like my brother. In fact I still believe you are Leo,” Xander agreed, solemnly. “Leo has been gone for so long. When I saw you, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought that I was reuniting with my lost brother. But I know that’s probably too much to ask for from the world.”

“What do you mean?” Leon asked, hoping he’d get the answers to all his questions involving his reincarnation.

“Leo and three of his close friends went missing a year ago,” Xander explained. “I had an important errand to run so I let them use my car and the last time I ever saw them was when they drove off.”

Leon looked at the floor, taking a deep breath. He knew it wasn’t right to do this. But it would ultimately help him with solving the murder case.

“A year ago, you say?” Leon looked up, gazing into hopeful maroon eyes. “Well, I really don’t know if I’m the brother you’re looking for, but I honestly don’t remember anything about my life before.”

“You’re saying you don’t remember anything from before a year ago?” the taller blond held his breath.

“Yes, I don’t recall any of my childhood memories and so forth,” Leon nodded his head.

He had to put his acting skills to the test. It couldn’t be that difficult could it? Leo has the same soul as him after all.

“So I’ve been constantly trying to remember. But ever since you mistaken me as your brother, I couldn’t stop wondering whether...I really was Leo or not.”

Xander took a hold of one of Leo’s hands gently.

“I truly do believe you are my younger brother,” Xander exclaimed. “And even if you don’t turn out to be I know you are still a kind man at heart. So if you aren’t my brother, I please ask of you to pretend to be. I know it is selfish of me to say such a thing, to ask of you for such a thing, but my sisters, my father...they all want Leo back. They need him back.”

Not only did this help him solve two cases, it was almost as if it was fate (which it most likely was) that Leon had to end up pretending to be Leo.

“I...I think I’m Leo,” Leon took a deep breath, swallowing a lump in his throat. “And I...I want to start remembering again.”

Xander spent a while thinking about what had just happened, processing what Leon had just said. Finally a small smile formed on his lips as he pulled his brother into a loving embrace. “Everyone had missed you so much. They’ll all be so excited to see you again.”

Leon almost sighed in relief, but stopped himself as Xander pulled away from the hug, smile still present on his face.

“If you have lost your memories, have the others too?” Xander asked.

“Pardon?”

Leon held his breath having not been prepared for this. Part of him was screaming abort mission while the other was telling him to stay put. He listened to the latter.

“Silas, Niles and Odin,” Xander explained. “I could’ve sworn I saw them too, dashing out of that convenience store.”

Cyrus, Zero and Owain? Leon’s eyes widened for a few seconds. He guessed he never thought about whether or not they had reincarnations too.

“They’re alive as well,” Leon replied. “They can’t seem to remember anything either. I believe something that involved our disappearance-an accident per say was what caused us four to forget.”

“Back to your thinking and observing, huh brother?” Xander sighed, appearing quite happy. “You never change.”

Well they basically have the same soul. But he couldn’t really mention that could he?

“Once work is over I believe you should reunite with our family,” Xander explained as Leon...well Leo nodded his head. “They’d love to know what had happened over a year.”

That was it. He had done it. No more calling himself Leon. Not until he got back to his actual time period. Until then he was Leo. Even in his own thoughts he was to be known as that.

“Come here at eight,” Xander said, looking over at the silver haired boy’s direction. “And feel free to invite Takumi as well.”

“Of course,” Leo nodded his head in agreement as Xander began walking away.

At the realization of this, Charlotte straightened up, walking as quickly as one could wearing high heels to catch up with her boss. However she dropped the small stack of papers she was carrying consisting of contracts from other smaller companies and other small documents she was supposed to deliver.

Leo picked all of them up for her, handing them back to the woman.

She smiled gratefully. He had missed seeing that beautiful smile. And getting the chance to see it again made Leo feel complete again. As if the hole etched into his heart from the past was somehow getting fixed by his wife’s reincarnation.

“Thank you,” Charlotte thanked him, walking off to find Xander.

Leo watched her blonde waves disappear from sight, smiling.

“You look extremely happy.”

Leo’s smile immediately fell into a frown and he couldn't help but glare. Count on Takumi to ruin things.

“So did it work?” Takumi asked, ignoring how Leo’s smile faded away almost immediately when he spoke, which was very insulting.

“You are now speaking to Leo, the younger brother of Xander,” Leo smirked as Takumi laughed, impressed. “You are also cordially invited to a dinner with my family.”

He couldn’t believe that it actually worked, happy and relieved. Definitely relieved. Takumi still felt guilty over whoever and wherever the real Leo was though.

He smiled, rolling his amber eyes before an idea came in mind. “Let’s go somewhere to celebrate.”

“Celebrate?” Leo raised an eyebrow. “What for?”

To his knowledge they hadn’t done anything worth celebrating. Back in his era, you’d celebrate after a war was won or a birthday and wedding ceremony. And none of that had occurred, so Leo had yet to know why Takumi insisted on celebrating.

“Your plan succeeded, so let’s go somewhere to celebrate for a bit,” Takumi sighed, grabbing Leo’s wrist and dragging him out of the company building. “I have an idea.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi had left the other three in the hands of Oboro and Hinata earlier in the morning. It was quite interesting seeing how Owain and Hinata got along almost immediately and how Zero and Oboro seemed to despise one another at first sight. Well more so Oboro than Zero.

He hoped they weren’t causing too much trouble for the two. They were one of his first friends when he moved to Cheve and he owed them so much for their kindness. The last thing he needed was to ruin their lives instead of repaying them for their friendship.

Takumi had dragged Leo onto a train, which took quite a bit since Leo was mesmerized by the form of transportation.

Sitting down in one of the seats, Takumi beamed, staring out the window. Leo still had no clue where they were going, but for some odd reason felt like he could trust Takumi. With his life even. After all he already had confided so many thoughts with the other. It was hard not to have faith in him.

“So are you going to tell me where we’re headed?” Leo asked, somewhat impatiently causing Takumi to laugh.

“Right away your highness,” Takumi grinned as Leo frowned, clearly not amused, looking at the aisle. “We’re going to Castle Krakenburg.”

Leo’s head immediately turned to look at Takumi face to face.

“Ring any bells in your dope brain?” Takumi poked Leo’s head.

“Why are you taking me to Castle Krakenburg?” the blond searched the other’s smirking face to find even a single hint.

“To sacrifice your soul,” Takumi said with a small smile, horrifying Leo though he didn’t let it show all that much.

“Pardon?” Leo choked out, wondering whether or not a person could survive jumping off a moving train since his escape routes seemed scarce at this point.

“Oh god. You’re completely hopeless,” Takumi sighed, burying his face in his hands. “I’m just taking you there because I thought you’d like to see what happened to your home after all these years.You know feel all nostalgic and stuff.”

“It’s not exactly the same as when you lived in there since people had to restore it and all,” Takumi explained. “And there are tours for tourists and even a park nearby with some food carts and arcade.”

“So I have a feeling you’re going to be all obnoxious and say ‘your people have desecrated my home’ or something like that,” he continued.

“I would not say that,” Leo rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair slightly as the train continued its journey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Your people have desecrated my home,” Leo exclaimed, staring at the sight. As Takumi laughed and Leo sighe. He also added, “Okay, it’s honestly not that bad...stop laughing.”

Tourists were everywhere taking pictures of the castle, some following a tour guide. Some people were sitting down and relaxing in the grass, eating food and kids were playing with a few toys and enjoying sports.

In all honesty, the place looked a lot more lively than it ever did back then. There was so much life. So much...happiness that Leo thought that the drastic change wasn’t that bad.

Suddenly, Leo remembered a few places he wanted to see again. The places in the castle he loved the most. Although he really wanted to go through the library, Takumi told him that a lot of the books had to be removed because of damage and so on. He also said that the library was mostly restricted only allowing you step inside a bit to take pictures.

He took a hold of Takumi’s hand suddenly, startling the other as he remembered another distinct place he wanted to revisit.

“Let’s go,” Leo began walking, feeling nostalgia from walking on the path and heading towards his destination.

“Where are we going?” Takumi asked as the prince dragged him all the way to a lotus pond. Well, unfortunately it was just a pond now.

It looked beautiful, the water glistening under the sun with the elegant bridge built over it. He was glad that the bridge still remained intact, down to every detail. So Leo had to give the people credit for preserving the structure. However the pond was still missing a vital component.

“Where are all the lotuses?” Leo mumbled, eyes scanning through the waters.

“They no longer grow in this pond,” Takumi explained, noticing how disappointed the blond looked. “But there are plenty of other lotus ponds around here if you want to see one.”

“It’s fine,” Leo shook his head, eyes saddened by the sight of the pond.

Takumi noticed how upset the taller man was. His brown eyes told all, looking solemnly at the sight before them. If he burst into tears Takumi wouldn’t have been surprised, but he didn’t.

“Are you alright?” Takumi asked sympathetically. “You look like you're about to cry.”

Maybe the last part wasn’t so sympathetic.

“I’m not going to cry,” Leo rolled his eyes, trying not to curse the other for being so observant. “I’m just thinking about the bad memories I’ve experienced here.”

His wife died here. Her body floating lifelessly on the water was still vivid in his memory. No matter how beautifully sunny it was today or how blue the skies were, all he could remember or picture was the grey morning sky, reflecting the gloomy feelings that washed over him.

“What’s the point of coming here to mourn over bad memories?” Takumi spoke softly. “You’re supposed to remember the good ones. Cherish them and think back to them.”

Leo wondered whether Takumi had actually said those wise words, failing to voice his thoughts aloud.

“So don’t be mopey,” Takumi lightly punched his shoulder. “C’mon. Smile.”

Leo believed he had to force a smile. He should’ve been used to it since he had to fake one around nobles all the time. However as he turned to face the shorter those negative thoughts seemed to disappear.

Takumi was giving him a smile in reassurance and for some reason seeing his bright amber eyes and his warm smile made Leo’s lips turn up as well. He suddenly felt better somehow, confusing him to an extent.

“See, was that so hard?” Takumi grabbed Leo’s hand. “I have another idea to cheer you up.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It’s cotton candy,” Takumi explained, handing one to Leo who still seemed quite puzzled with the pink fluff. “It’s food.”

Leo continued to stare at his cotton candy, wondering how in the world it was possibly meant for eating. Hesitantly and warily he pulled a piece off and put it in his mouth. To his surprise it dissolved in his mouth immediately, leaving a sweet taste on his tongue. Leo couldn’t help but smile a bit at this, finding this cotton candy very unique. It was unfortunate that Owain wasn’t here since he would absolutely adore the treat.

“It’s really sweet,” Leo stated as he ate.

“People tend to indulge themselves with sweet foods when they’re upset,” Takumi explained. “So you better enjoy it.”

“I said it was sweet, I didn’t say it was bad. So I assure you I’m enjoying it,” Leo muttered as Takumi glared at him. The cotton candy however would never be as enjoyable as teasing the shorter male or angering him.

Despite that, he was very grateful for Takumi was trying to make Leo feel better for a problem he didn’t even know. That kindness seemed so familiar, yet Leo couldn’t put a finger on it. He continued to silently eat his candy, following the other aimlessly.

“Look!” Takumi suddenly gasped running over to a strange machine. “There are Kinshi plushies in this claw machine.”

He smiled, making Leo hold his cotton candy as he pulled out a few coins from his fixed pocket. Putting one into the coin slot, he began moving the claw with the joystick, pressing on a red button to signal it to lower down. Leo seemed quite amused with the whole game and watched as the claw grabbed onto nothing.

“Dang it,” Takumi frowned, putting another coin in.

“You look like a child,” Leo mused as the other tried again to get his desired prize.

The claw managed to grab onto a bit of stuffed animal before gravity did its magic and caused the poor Kinshi to fall back into the pile of others.

“Shut up and eat your stupid cotton candy,” Takumi pouted as he failed yet again.

“You sound like one too,” Leo coughed before biting into his candy once again.

Takumi tried again, failing. By the time Takumi was down to his last three coins, Leo had already finished his cotton candy and Takumi who wasn’t in the mood for the treat anymore let him eat his too.

He just wanted a Kinshi plushie. They all seemed so adorable and Takumi just wanted to take one home if that was too much to ask for. He didn’t even care if others would tease him at this point for it.

“May I try?” Leo finally asked, wanting to try for himself.

“Yup,” Takumi handed him a coin, all hope lost in his voice.

Leo pushed the silver coin into the coin slot and moved the joystick. He placed the claw perfectly above one stuffed animal, using all his concentration.

He had trained to become a strong fighter and prince. He was put through many challenges in order to prove his training, skill and strength, suffered through hours of agonizing practise and had to study and master magic. Getting a stuffed toy from a machine was nothing compared to that.

He pressed the red button and the metal claw descended.

_Miss_.

Leo felt a sweat drop on the side of his forehead as he came to the utter realization that he missed and failed. This claw machine had out bested him.

“May I try again?” Leo asked, determination in his brown eyes.

“Knock yourself out,” Takumi grinned amused by the sudden perseverance, handing him another coin.

Leo didn’t seem to be upset anymore. He wasn’t even lost in thought like he had been moments before, making Takumi smile to himself.

The two men stared through the window as the claw went down, grabbing a Kinshi toy and moved agonizingly slowly before dropping it into the box.

Takumi didn’t know what had happened before, but now he and Leo were screaming, cheering, laughing and jumping around like complete idiots. A few kids stared at them, eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

Takumi took the Kinshi from behind the flap and held it so Leo could look at the prize they had won. And the two were back to screaming and cheering and getting odd looks from others.

As the two walked contently back to the train station, Takumi held his little stuffed toy tightly and childishly. The two were actually enjoying the silence for a bit longer, for once not teasing or angering the other.

“You think you’ll be able to pull this off?” Takumi broke the silence.

“I believe I’ll be just fine when it comes to being Leo,” Leo replied. “And if not, the least I could do for his family is discover what really happened to him.”

“I meant do you think you'll be able to fulfill whatever you need to,” Takumi bit the inside of his cheek.

“I have to,” Leo answered simply. “It is not only my duty as a prince, but something I have sworn to do.”

He will find Calla’s murderer and bring justice to her death. Even if it meant time warping into the future.

Takumi noticed the same determination in Leo’s brown eyes. The same drive he had before when playing on the claw machine. Except this time it was much more intense, mind set on doing something far more important than winning a plushie from an arcade game.

“You still never told me why you looked like you were about to burst into tears earlier,” Takumi smirked as Leo scoffed.

“I wasn’t going to cry,” Leo denied, refusing to let Takumi believe such false accusations.

“Besides, instead of saying such trivial things, you should be thanking me for finding those twine figures of yours...twice,” It was the blond’s time to smirk. “And not to mention I got you that plush toy.”

“Okay, okay,” Takumi rolled his eyes. “Thank you. You happy now?”

“Very.”

“Good. If you’re very happy then you won’t start crying, right?” Takumi breathed a laugh at Leo’s petty frown.

“Insufferable,” Leo mumbled, though Takumi could still hear him (perks of being short) which caused him to roll his eyes again.

“I almost forgot,” Takumi handed the prince a slip of paper. “It has my address and phone number. In case you get lost or need a ride home sometimes.”

“And frankly I don’t want you going around telling people my license plate to contact me,” Takumi added having found out how the four had somehow gotten the police to ring him up.

Leo nodded his head, pocketing the information.

Takumi was unsure whether the prince had anything else to say before he saw a very familiar train arrive at the station.

“Train!” Takumi took a hold of Leo’s forearm and ran towards one of the train cars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were now sitting in the train, waiting till they got to their destination. Takumi had apparently gotten texts from Hinata and Oboro. Hinata had said everything was fine and the boys were actually quite fun to hangout with while Oboro was complaining about how they were driving her mad.

Leo’s mind was too busy thinking about too many things at once. Though the thoughts that seemed to take over was the dinner he was about to have with his ‘family’ and possibly meeting the reincarnation of his wife again.

Takumi who was seated on the aisle seat next to him had fallen asleep, hugging the small Kinshi plush.

The shorter’s head suddenly fell onto Leo’s shoulder causing the prince to tense up. He frowned, using his index finger to push the other’s head off his shoulder since Takumi seemed to enjoy poking foreheads so much. Get a taste of his own medicine as one would put it.

However only a few mere seconds later, he was sound asleep leaning on his shoulder once again.

Leo sighed, about to shove his head off again before he noticed a few passengers staring at him, giving him judging looks. He suddenly realized how much of an awful person he looked like at the moment so he resisted the urge to push Takumi’s head off from his shoulder, allowing the other to sleep nicely.

He won this time. Only because nobody could see how Takumi was the awful person in reality.

~~~~~~~~~~~

When they arrived back at the company building, Leo was met with tight bear hugs from two girls- his sisters.

“Leo! I knew you’d come back!” a short blonde girl beamed, eyes tearing up as she held onto the prince for a bit longer.

He was shocked to see that the younger girl was a reincarnation of his own little sister, Elizabeth. Except instead of sharing his warm brown eyes, he was staring into purple ones. Did that mean that some reincarnations could have different eye and hair colours?

“My dear little brother,” a lavender haired woman cooed, pulling away from her hug to ruffle his hair which annoyed him quite a bit. “You had me worried sick! Don’t do that to your older sister.”

“Elise and Camilla,” Xander seemed to answer Leo’s question. “Your sisters, remember?”

“I don’t really,” Leo looked at the floor. “I didn't even recognize you when we first saw one another.”

That explanation earned a sorrowful nod from everyone which made Leo feel guilty. He turned to the younger girl and an idea seemed to come to mind. If solving the murder would involve recreating some events in the past, then maybe the relationships and personalities of every reincarnation was repeated as well.

He wanted to see if his relationship with Elizabeth was similar to Leo’s with Elise.

“But I was wondering whether you and I used to drink tea with one another,” Leo said to Elise whose face lit up immediately.

“Of course we did!” she smiled excitedly. “Leo...Leo remembered something!”

“I’d beg you to come play with me,” She began and Leo immediately recognized what happened from his memories with his own younger sister. “I’d pour you tea in the finest tea cups we had…”

“Then you’d put three cubes of sugar in yours and I would drink mine sugar free,” Leo finished making Elise nod her head frantically while Xander and Camilla smiled contently.

Takumi felt so happy just from seeing the family reunite, but noted how weird it was for him to be standing there. He was just awkwardly standing at the side while the family seemed to endorse in a heartwarming conversation.

It made Takumi feel a bit sad watching the family look so beautiful and happy together. They looked almost perfect from where he was. His family seemed more imperfect, broken even. And he didn’t know his biological family, so he’d never know what it would feel like to call for his siblings or hug someone who shared the same blood.

“Who’s your new friend?” Elise asked, giving Takumi plenty of unneeded and unwanted attention.

“That is Takumi,” Leo grinned. “Feel free to gush about how short he is and pinch his cheeks.”

_That little-_

“He’s adorable!” Camilla laughed, Elise agreeing with her as he blushed.

He looked up at the blond man, silently crying for help which was ultimately ignored as the prince pretended not to notice, avoiding eye contact smiling mischievously. Curse him for sicking the sisters he had technically just met on him.

Before he could not-so-subtly kick Leo in the shin, the sound of designer high heels clicking on the polished floors echoed throughout the empty building.

“Xander, the car is here to take you to the restaurant,” Charlotte explained, smiling sweetly. “Your father is already there waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Charlotte,” Xander nodded his head.

Leo noticed how the blonde happily skipped over to stand by the secretary, revealing how they had a strong friendship.

“Can Charlotte come too?” Elise asked Xander, putting on her best puppy pout. “Pretty please?”

“Elise, it's-”

“I wouldn’t mind if she came along as well,” Leo exclaimed and Takumi could’ve sworn he saw the blond blush. The royal turned to face the secretary, “Well, um if you want to.”

Leo tried his hardest not to facepalm, but to his excitement, Charlotte said she’d love to come. Elise jumped up and down for joy while Charlotte glanced at Takumi, somehow maintaining her cheery smile.

“You guys head to the car first,” she explained. “I need to do something real quick.”

With that the family left, Leo practically being dragged out by the energetic Elise.

Charlotte turned around, still looking poised and elegant.

“Why?” She asked simply, though her words were drowning in rage.

“I don’t understand-”

“Why do you keep appearing in front of me?” Charlotte cut him off as clean as a blade and more painful than a stab wound. “Don’t you get it by now? I don’t want you in my life.”

“It’s not like I do it intentionally, Charlotte,” Takumi held onto the Kinshi a bit tighter, knuckles almost turning white. “Besides, I’m just helping Leo.”

“Leo? He’s with his family now. He’s happy with them,” Charlotte scoffed. “He doesn’t need you anymore, so stop clinging onto him.”

“It’s more so the other way around-”

“You don’t get it do you?” the blonde breathed a laugh. “You don’t belong anywhere near a company like Corrin, yet alone hanging out with its owner’s son. So I suggest you remove yourself completely from this business before you embarrass yourself.”

Charlotte began to walk past him, shoulder crashing into him.

“Tell Leo I wasn't feeling well,” Takumi spoke quietly, though the words met the secretary’s ears. “He has my contact information, so he’ll be fine.”

Charlotte didn’t say another word after that. Takumi didn’t even turn around to watch her leave, only listening to the sound of her heels hitting the ground to determine whether or not she had left.

He only then turned around to watch the car drive away to begin making his way back home. He trudged all the way back to his house, replaying the secretary’s harsh words and picking up the three men who had managed to keep his neighbours’ place intact.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As they all arrived at the reserved restaurant, Leo still wondered why Takumi didn’t come with them. He looked perfectly fine before, so when Charlotte had come to say that he wasn’t feeling well, Leo found it strange.

He shook off the feeling as he began to wonder why he cared so much.

As they walked over to the table, Leo met his father, who shook his hand instead of pulling him for a hug like Leo had been prepared for. The man in front of him reminded him of his own serious and strict father. Though there was still kindness in both of them.

His hair was an aging grey while his skin was sickly pale, signifying how in this era too, his father was ill.

The blond sat in between Elise and the secretary, deciding to try to start a conversation with his reincarnated wife. If the same events from the past would happen again then he had to become her lover. Not that he was really complaining about that.

“I apologize if it felt like I was forcing you to come,” Leo said as Charlotte shook her head.

“Don’t worry. You didn’t force me at all,” she explained. “I love spending any time with your family, so if I was invited, this was no exception.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Leo seemed to be perfectly content being able to see her and talk to her again. According to all the other reincarnations he knew, himself included, everyone had the same heart and personality as their former selves. That was comforting to know at the very least. That his wife was still the same as before.

Charlotte seemed to notice something in CEO’s second son. He had gone missing before she ever really got to know him or meet him, so it was quite interesting seeing as to how he appeared to want to strike a conversation with her more so than his own family.

Was it possible that he had a little crush on her? She wouldn’t blame him seeing as to her natural good looks. But Charlotte didn’t exactly know how she felt about him yet. After all they had just met each other before. He was cute, she’d give him that and had plenty of money.

“Are you planning to move back in with your family?” Charlotte asked, catching everyone’s attention.

“Leo should come back to our house!” Elise clapped her hands together. “We haven’t even touched your room since you’ve been gone, so all your stuff is still there!”

“Having our Leo back home sounds splendid,” Camilla twirled a waved lock of purple hair around one of her fingers. “How about tomorrow?”

“Why tomorrow? Can’t we bring him today?” Elise whined, clutching onto Leo’s arm lovingly.

“Everyone this is Leo’s decision,” Xander suddenly spoke up. “He doesn’t really remember us all that well, so if he is more comfortable living somewhere else for the time being then so be it.”

The blonde woman noticed the man’s discomfort as Elise and Camilla seemed to be smothering him with persuasions.

“Are you alright?” she asked softly in her best sympathetic tone.

Everyone stared at him expectantly.

“I...suppose it is the most reasonable thing to do,” Leo spoke slowly, uncertainty in his voice. Despite that Elise still cheered happily. However the uneasy feeling didn’t go away for Leo and he didn’t understand why. He could just leave the rooftop house and live with his reincarnation’s rightful family. But for some reason he didn’t want to and he couldn’t figure out why.

After the dinner, Leo borrowed his older brother’s phone to tell Takumi he was going to stay with his family. He told him to drop off Niles, Odin and Silas the next day and gave him the address to the house. The thought of leaving still felt weird to him, but he shook it off.

“Bye, Leo,” Charlotte smiled at him, bowing her head politely as he entered his family car where his siblings still seemed to be excited.

Leo didn’t expect to fake a smile. He thought that seeing the woman he loved look so happy would make his heart swell. However as he turned to see the woman’s face, beautifully lighten by the night lights, he didn’t feel his lips instinctively turn up, having to force them to do so.

After the car began driving away, Leo sat back staring out the window, wondering why his wife’s smile didn’t make him too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Charlotte sighed, tossing her white purse onto the couch as she stretched her limbs. She stared at the clock, reveling at how late in the night it was. Sighing her eyes landed on the phone she had left on her polished glass coffee table, having used it in the morning.

She had called her mother, unable to control her feelings and emotions, complaining about why Takumi was even in Cheve. She went on about how he could’ve stayed in Valla instead of having to come over to the city just because his adopted family was there.

She still remembered her mother’s words, which only irritated her further.

_“We’re the only family he’s got left,” her mother sighed, “with his biological family completely missing from his life.”_

_“Besides Charlotte,” she continued. “He’s got a stable life here. A job, a house. A friendly neighborhood. He’d made himself at home here in Cheve. Why would he want to leave?”_

Charlotte cursed for actually believing her own mother would actually be able to comfort her or ease her thoughts.

Not only was the younger man a threat to her lies, he was also a smear the company didn’t need, especially with him showing up all the time pretty much following Leo like an aimless puppy. She also never loved him, even when her mother had told her he was going to be her brother. She in fact felt the opposite of love for the other, wanting nothing to do with him.

Suddenly, an evil grin replaced the frown on her glossed lips as an idea came to mind.

_A job and house, huh?_

Picking up her cellphone, Charlotte couldn’t help but widen her smirk confidently.

_Not for long._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhangers! Love em when I'm writing them, hate em when I'm reading them :)
> 
> So I hope you found the claw machine adorable. I found it too cute to resist putting it in this fanfic as well XD. Just putting it out there that there will be some scenes from the show that I will write for this fic with my own little twist and perspective.
> 
> I'm wondering if any of you noticed he whole smiling epiphany that happened ;)
> 
> I hoped you like this chapter, because it's gonna get real depressing next chapter.
> 
> P.S You will eventually see how blindly in love Leo is to Charlotte, but you can't blame him when he doesn't know her dark side


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi hits a few bumps on the road in his life and knows it will only get harder, unbeknownst to how everything is going according to Charlotte's plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for them slow updates...(nervous laughter)
> 
> Anyway, I am currently on vacation...oops? I meant to update before I left but it was late in the night and I...um...kinda fell asleep//slaps myself. 
> 
> So here's the chapter where it gets sad and awful. Sorry in advance and feel free to kill Charlotte in your imagination// thumbs up ;)
> 
> The majority of this chapter is Takumi, but there is still Leo. I listened to Hurt from the Rooftop Prince soundtrack, cause it's just a sad song and it made me feel emotions when writing...well enough about me being weird
> 
> Here's this chapter!

Takumi sighed, sliding against the door to sit on the floor completely defeated. Never had he felt so useless before. Ever. And he was really hoping the feeling would go away.

He had sent the trio to Leo’s family mansion as he had called the previous night saying that his brother had requested his friends Silas, Niles and Odin- which Takumi was still getting used to calling them in his head and out loud. Leo had stayed with his family which only made sense, but something made Takumi a bit upset with that. He had shrugged it off, expecting the course of the day to cheer him up.

However he did not expect to head to work afterwards only to drive back home.

_Fired._ Replaced was another way to put it.

He was fired and someone else took his place, apparently having been searching for a job and was recommended by a famous business that Takumi didn’t catch before Felicia was going on and on about how good looking the new employee looked. He was only half listening to that as well as he tried to process what had just happened.

Takumi was officially unemployed. Sighing again, he hesitantly got up and dusted his clothing. He had to stay optimistic.

Finding another job couldn’t be too hard, right? It was just a pain in the neck finding the one he had before, so he was just going to find another one in a breeze.

Takumi felt like dying.

“It’s fine,” Takumi muttered to himself. “I still have enough money saved up to pay the land...Landlord!”

Takumi smacked his forehead and hurriedly made his way to find the cheque that he could finally give his landlord after the gruesome wait. He had promised Izana that he would give him all the money needed to pay for the rooftop house today after he couldn’t afford to pay it off in time...for several months. But now, finally after tons of hard work in his former job, he had gathered enough money to continue to pay for his home.

Grabbing the cheque and slipping it into an envelope, Takumi put it in his shoulder bag and began to make his way out the door until his cell phone began ringing.

He answered the call, which turned out to be from his mother, locking the door behind him.

“Hello?”

“Takumi, oh thank goodness! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for so long,” his mother exclaimed. “Where have you been all this time? Been too busy to hang out with your ol’ mother huh?”

Takumi thought about how distracted he had been with the crown prince and his loyal subjects. They took a lot of time and energy from him, so if his mother had been constantly calling him for a while that would explain why it seemed like he disappeared from the face of the earth.

“I would never be too busy to hang out with you,” Takumi objected. “My life was just...hectic for a bit.”

Hectic was becoming an understatement for the situations he was being thrown into.

“Never too busy? That is just perfect,” his mother sounded very excited to hear that. “I was planning to head over to this nice restaurant. Why don’t you come along? I’ve been wanting to show you there for so long.”

Takumi bit his lip. He had to head over to his landlord and pay the money, since the deadline was today.

“I would love to, but…” he paused.

He couldn’t say he was too busy. He had already reassured her that he’d always be there for her when she needed him. Besides, the deadline was today, but Izana never specified what time that day for him to deliver.

“I would love to,” Takumi breathed earning an excited cheer from his mother.

“Oh this is great!” She laughed, happily. “It’s that restaurant near the bakery that sells those itty bitty cheesecakes. Do you know where it is?”

“Yes, mom I do,” Takumi sighed, smiling. It was just like her to fret over such small things.

“Charlotte and I will meet you there,” his mom continued though Takumi’s smile immediately fell at the mention of his supposed adopted sister.

He didn’t honestly know how he felt towards her anymore. After that life changing discussion, Charlotte was dead set on keeping him away from her life. Would it be alright for their mother to invite them to a lunch together? Was the blonde just going to force him out again?

“Takumi? Are you there?”

“Oh, r-right. Okay, I’ll um...I’ll see you soon,” Takumi stammered after realizing he was still on the phone with his parent. Putting his phone into his jacket pocket, Takumi made his way to the restaurant, reminding himself to give in his cheque later that day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo stared at the unauthorized conference room he was standing in. Elise giggled as Odin and Silas spun the wheeled chairs experimentally while Camilla raised an eyebrow, amused.

“It’s almost as if they’ve never seen this room before,” the short blonde girl laughed, watching Niles lowering the seat in actual amazement.

“Whether you boys have forgotten memories or not,” Camilla sighed. “You’ll always be the same.”

Leo was slightly concerned over whether the real Silas, Niles and Odin were as clueless as this due to Camilla’s statement. That would’ve been quite disturbing and pitiful if it were really the case. Then again, maybe she meant their personalities. Hopefully.

“Leo! Leo!” Elise happily jumped up and down bringing the blond to the front of the large rectangular table.

She sat down on the leather chair, joyously spinning around. Leo watched amused at how simple, yet complex the modern day chairs were. He definitely knew that businessmen and women did not use such chairs for the purpose of spinning around in it for entertainment though.

“Do you remember? I used to be the Queen of this conference room!” She explained, raising her head up, acting high and mighty. “And you would play along and bow to me.”

Before Leo could even respond, Elise clapped her hands together.

“Since you don’t remember all that well, let’s switch it up!” She got up from the seat urging Leo to sit in it instead. “You get to be the ruler today!”

The blond raised an eyebrow as he sat in the soft leather chair. He spun around, finding that the chair seemed very convenient and efficient, especially with the wheels. The world had obviously evolved from the heavy, barely moveable chairs back from the Nohrian era.

“Your majesty,” Elise curtsied, incorrectly but Leo wasn’t going to judge. “You look magnificent sitting on your throne.”

She motioned for the other three to join in as Camilla breathed a curious laugh. Silas, Niles and Odin didn’t really see what was so fun or entertaining about it, since they were just bowing to their prince again.

“Your majesty,” All of them bowed politely and not to mention correctly. Leo couldn’t help but acknowledge how he’d never get used to hearing his future title. It almost pained him in a way hearing others call him a role he would most likely fail at.

It almost hurt remembering the reason why he was actually willing to find a suitor when his father suggested it. He somewhat selfishly needed someone to stand by his side since he’d never believe he could rule a kingdom alone. Leo thought the one destined to be with him and stay by his side forever would’ve been Calla. But now with her gone, he didn’t know if he’d be alright.

Elise clapped getting his attention back, amazed at how synchronized the three were. “Wow! You guys are great at this! It’s almost as if you guys have been to a real castle!”

Leo sighed. If only she knew. (Meanwhile Odin seemed to scoff at Elise’s ‘almost’).

“You’re fit to be a king my dear,” Camilla exclaimed before teasingly asking. “But wherever is your queen?”

“Ooh! Where’s your lover, King Leo?” Elise piped in, unbeknownst to the nervous glances Niles, Silas and Odin were exchanging amongst themselves. “I bet she is the fairest of the land.”

“Or he,” Camilla winked.

As Elise and Camilla continued to playfully ask such questions, Leo immediately began to picture Charlotte. She was his lover in another life. So fate would obviously play the strings so he would end up with her once again. His heart began to beat faster and his cheeks undoubtedly became red at the thought of falling in love once more.

His blush did not go unnoticed unfortunately.

“Look, Elise,” Camilla pinched Leo’s cheeks before he pushed her hands away, clearly annoyed. “Our Leo’s in love.”

“He is?!” Elise gasped, studying her brother’s blushing face. “He really is searching for a queen.”

“Or maybe,” Camilla looked at his expression carefully once more, before grinning. “He’s already found one.”

“Whoever could it be?” she put a finger to her chin, turning around to face the nervous three. “Do you boys know by a chance?”

It wasn’t like him liking Charlotte had to be a secret or anything, but the blond prince overall did not need or want his sisters to begin ‘helping’ him win her over which he knew they would attempt to do.

Leo gave the three a quick glance, shaking his head.

“I don’t believe I do,” Niles replied having gotten Leo’s message luckily. The prince’s relief was short lived however as the eye patch traitor continued. “Or that’s what I believe Leo is signaling me to tell you.”

The blond put a hand to his forehead as his sisters turned to face him, raising their eyebrows before they looked at Silas for an answer.

“Leo’s had an eye for a certain someone for a while now,” Silas explained; both he and Leo grimaced after the explanation. He hurriedly added,“B-but I don’t know who it is!”

The knight gulped, wishing he had his armour back or at least Niles’ eyepatch to shield himself from the pressing gazes of the sisters who suspiciously turned to Odin afterwards.

“She is more beautiful than the morning sun with hair like rays of gold and eyes of blue diamonds,” Odin exclaimed before recoiling. “If...if I knew what she looked like that is.”

It wasn't a surprise the idiots he considered his friends only made the situation worse, but Leo had his hopes up. Unfortunately for him, his elder sister wasn’t too quick to give up.

“A she, I see,” Camilla grinned knowingly. “Blonde hair and blue eyes. My precious little brother has fallen for a classic huh?”

“So who is it?”she asked, smiling expectantly as she waited for his answer.

“I…,” Leo sighed. At this rate the lavender haired woman would be able to figure out who he was smitten for herself. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt letting them know. “I…like…”

He prepared himself for the squeals. “Charlotte.”

As expected the two women cheered, smiling and squealing in delight. Elise hugged her brother briefly, clearly content with his crush.

“Charlotte is so pretty! I’m sure she likes you too,” she beamed, happily.

Leo knew how much Elise liked Charlotte. To the point of considering her as another older sister which Leo was very happy to know. If solving the murder involved marrying the secretary then it was a good thing that Elise already thought of the blonde woman as part of the family.

“I’m glad you’ve found an interest in a nice person,” Camilla nodded her head approvingly. “But if she dare hurt you I will personally-”

“It’s Charlotte, Camilla! She’d never hurt a fly,” Elise exclaimed, immediately cutting off her sister at the mere mention of doubt in the other. “She definitely won’t hurt Leo either.”

Leo couldn’t help but smile as his sisters continued to wish him the very best with winning over the secretary while Niles, Silas and Odin continued to muse over the strangest looking objects in the room, having lost interest in their conversation.

He was glad and relieved to know that he had his sisters on his side when it came to his love interest. If they didn’t try to bud in or ‘help’ he believed that them knowing would at least be fine for the moment.

He watched contently at everyone enjoying their time with one another, though felt a bit empty somehow.

Even with everyone laughing and smiling in the room with his wife in his memory, Leo couldn’t help but feel something- or someone was missing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi arrived at the restaurant where his mother and Charlotte were waiting at a table. His mother pulled him into a warm hug while Charlotte kept a surprisingly neutral expression on her face. It felt almost unnatural after witnessing all her scowls, disapproving frowns and forced smiles.

“It’s almost as if I haven’t seen you in years, Takumi,” his mother smiled.

His adoptive mother was a beautiful woman, faint wrinkles forming on her face with blonde hair slowly greying after all the hard work she had done for her job. Even though she was growing old, though refusing to truly admit it, she was still lovely and was an undying beauty, still considered eye candy and a catch to others.

“Don’t you think this place is just wonderful?” She gawked, extremely content to know that her family was finally sitting at one table again. Takumi found a smile forming on his lips as well, wondering how long it had been since his mom had gone out to eat.

“It’s lovely,” Takumi said, placing his bag down.

He glanced to look at the blonde secretary who had been oddly silent.

“Did you not have work today?” Charlotte suddenly asked right after Takumi noted how quiet she had been, resisting the urge to grin already knowing the answer.

“No...,” Takumi replied quietly. He visibly hesitated before admitting to what had happened earlier. It was at least right to let his mother know, although he didn’t want to say it in front of Charlotte. “I...I got fired.”

“Oh my! If you’d like I could check to see if there are any job openings where I work,” their mother gasped, shocked by the news.

“No, it’s fine,” Takumi shook his head. “There’s no need to go through the trouble for me.”

His mother already worked too hard. He didn’t want her to stress over finding a job for him. That was his own responsibility after all.

“That’s too bad,” Charlotte took a sip of her iced water. “Delivering groceries was the only thing you were good at.”

“Charlotte!” Their mother scolded as Takumi stiffened, pretending not to look as beaten as he felt.

All the lady seemed to do was drink her water, ignoring her mother’s disappointed mutters. She looked somewhat satisfied about something and it was already unnerving enough not knowing what she seemed so proud about.

There was an awkward silence that took place as the three didn’t know what to do or say. Charlotte seemed content with not uttering another word while their mother looked as if she wanted to say something, but couldn’t seem to find the right words. Takumi was stuck wondering why he even came.

_To the restaurant or to Cheve?_

He bit his lip, lost in his own thoughts until his mother finally said something, breaking the silence.

“Takumi,” she said, concern in her voice and worry in her eyes. “I believe...I um dropped my earring somewhere near the front of the restaurant. Will you please help me find it?”

Before he could even answer his mother had gotten up from her seat and hurriedly walked off.

“W-wait!” Takumi stumbled slightly as he went after her. “You don’t even wear earrings!”

Charlotte rolled her blue eyes, finally setting the glass down. Of course her own mother was going to be talking to the younger man about something that was not intended for her ears. What kind of mother chose her adoptive son over her own biological daughter? A distasteful one she assumed.

She couldn't stay upset forever though as she felt a bit of satisfaction after hearing her little phone call had worked. She just had a favour to repay with an unemployed acquaintance which seemed to perfectly fit in her plan.

Hand reaching for her cup of water again, she noticed the bag Takumi had put down on the floor. Eyes looking around to see if the coast was clear, she grabbed the bag, opening it up to check the contents inside. Anything to use against him or get him away from Cheve.

Charlotte was hoping to find his cell phone but to no avail, hand finding an envelope instead. Curious, she opened it up, pulling out a cheque. A cheque addressed to Takumi’s landlord. Her mother had mentioned Takumi had been having trouble paying his landlord once or twice.

Smirking, Charlotte ripped it into pieces, stashing them into her purse. Closing the envelope and placing it back into the bag, Charlotte got out of her seat, walking off to the exit. Part two of her plan was done and hopefully there wouldn’t need to be another.

A job and house. A stable life.

All gone just like that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mom,” Takumi sighed as his mother scanned the ground, muttering “where is that darn earring” over and over again.

“Mom,” Takumi tried again before his mother looked to check if anyone- most likely Charlotte had followed.

“Did something happen between you two?” His mother finally asked in a low, quiet voice.

“What do you mean?” Takumi bit his lip.

“You guys seem so distant. Almost as if you are strangers,” she sighed.

Charlotte probably would’ve prefered him being a stranger, but Takumi couldn’t break his mother’s heart by saying such a thing. He honestly didn’t know why Charlotte was trying to push him out, but he guessed she had her own reasons. Reasons he couldn’t bring up to his mother obviously.

“She’s also been real snappy lately,” the blonde woman huffed. “Whenever I call or come over to her apartment she gets all defensive and hurriedly forces me to leave. Almost as if she doesn’t want to be seen with me. It’s painful.”

Takumi seemed shock to hear this. Charlotte said she was only doing this because she didn’t believe he was to be considered related to her, not sharing any blood, but she was also acting very distant and pushy with her own biological mother. What did this mean?

“Charlotte has just been busy with work,” Takumi lied as his mother sighed in relief. “She’s just stressed out and needs some space.”

“Oh thank goodness,” she smiled, having bought the lie. “I guess I was just worrying over nothing, eh? It must be because I’m getting old.”

“Now let’s get back,” his mother began to walk back just as Charlotte was walking out to leave. The two exchanged a brief glance with one another.

“Charlotte, where are you going?” Her mother asked as the blonde began sashaying away.

“My lunch break is over. You know how busy work is,” Charlotte explained, rolling her eyes before leaving with her signature high heels clicking on the polished limestone ground.

“Oi, she really is busy,” his mother frowned. “She’s always up and about, going off. Not even sparing a single minute for her family.”

“If you want we can always reschedule,” Takumi suggested sensing his mother’s disappointment.

He knew how his mother could feel lonely easily and how much she just wanted to go back to sitting around a table with her family. It was probably something every mother wished for.

“Not a chance,” she wagged a finger. “If I can’t spend some time with all of my family, then I’ll still be just as content eating lunch with my son.”

She put a hand to his cheek, cupping it lovingly before rushing him back to their table.

As he took a look at the menu, Takumi glanced to see his mother’s beautiful smiling face. He obviously didn’t look anything like her, being adopted and all. So he couldn’t help but wonder what his biological family looked and acted like. Wondering if they considered him family or if they had already forgotten he existed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi hurriedly went over to his landlord after saying his farewell to his mother, telling her to arrive home safely. Izana was smiling as usual, especially intrigued to see the silver haired man at the door.

“Ah, Takumi! You know pay day is today,” Izana exclaimed having to mention the next part. “Especially for you.”

Izana generously continued to move his date until today, which was the last exception he’d ever make. But Takumi promised he’d have enough money by then and luckily he did.

“I was just about to head out to one of my most favourite luxurious restaurants,” Izana clapped his hands together, looking blissful. “So all you need to do is give me the money and I’ll take care of it later.”

Takumi nodded his head, opening up his shoulder bag to find the white envelope he put the cheque in. Grabbing it, he opened it up, happy to finally get the weight off his shoulders. He had worked hard every single day to earn every single penny. Izana waited patiently as Takumi pulled out...nothing.

It was empty.

_Empty_. Why was it empty?

Takumi bit his lip nervously as he frantically searched his bag for the cheque on the rare possibility that it fell out of the envelope. Izana’s big smile became a bit smaller, a bit pitiful even. Which definitely only made Takumi feel worse.

“I must be going now Takumi,” he said calmly while Takumi told him to wait a few more minutes.

Even if the white haired man did spare him five minutes, what was the shorter male going to do with that time? Magically summon a cheque that somehow disappeared?

Takumi thought back to where he had went earlier on. He remembered the restaurant with his mother and Charlotte. Maybe one of them had found it, although the chances of that were slim. He called Charlotte who didn’t answer several times.

Izana sighed, already knowing very well that the shorter male couldn’t get the money at this point.

“Takumi,” Izana stopped him and the other held his breath, already sensing what was to come. “Look, you’re a great, amazing person, but I’ve already given you _so_ much time. Today was the final day, the last straw.”

The day wasn’t over yet. He technically still had time. But Takumi highly doubted that the let cared at this point.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I’ll give you a week to pack all of your things.”

Takumi felt like he was slammed against a brick wall replaying the words in his head. The words he convinced himself he’d never hear if he just worked hard enough. If he just worked fast enough to earn all that money, especially with such a crummy job. But now look what happened. He had to pack all of his things and...leave.

He dropped the flimsy, empty envelope and turned around only to find Izana long gone. His last chance. And the cheque just disappeared. It was gone. Just like his job and now just like his house.

He didn’t even realize he was sitting on the ground like a useless lump, hugging his knees to his chest until Oboro and Hinata found him, completely still and broken. They tried their best to comfort him and he appreciated their efforts, but he just needed some time by himself.

His job, his house, the cheque, his life in Cheve were gone. All he had here was falling apart and he was unable to hold onto anything to fix it all. And he knew he’d never be able to get all of it back in time. Sighing, Takumi resisted the unbearable urge to cry, cursing as he felt his eyes water, tears fortunately never falling.

When he finally managed to get up and trudge off, nearly tripping on the stairs, he found himself entering the rooftop house, calling it home at least one last time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi entered the coffee shop, finding Charlotte sitting at a table sipping on a cup of coffee. He wondered what she wanted. After all, he had tried to contact her before and she didn’t pick up, but she had called him out of the blue to meet her here again.

He felt slightly uncomfortable with talking with her. The last conversation they had there was about not being considered siblings. So you couldn’t blame him as he took a seat and glanced at the blonde’s calm and serious face.

She placed the coffee cup down, offering the smallest smile a human being could even bear.

“I heard about what happened today,” Charlotte exclaimed coolly. “It just shows how much you weren't meant to come to Cheve.”

Takumi didn’t want to know how she had found out about his situation, but then again she was a secretary for a famous business, so that could come into play. But he definitely didn’t want to sit around to listen to her “I told you so” for the next hour or so.

“If you just called me to mock me, I have more important things to-”

“Let’s make a deal,” Charlotte cut him off which he was slowly getting irritated by. “I’ll give you the money.”

His eyes widened as he tried to make sure he wasn’t hearing things. It wasn’t like the other to offer such a thing, especially towards him. The fact that he could maybe get enough money seemed tempting at first, but he only felt more uneasy.

“Are you sure? It’s quite a lot,” Takumi muttered after the initial shock wore off.

“Don’t question how much money I have on my hands,” Charlotte said simply, surprisingly not very insulted.

Obviously the deal Charlotte was proposing sounded very generous so far, which could only mean there was more to it. She had been acting so harsh to him as of late, it only made sense for her to make a deal with him for her own benefit. Not his.

“I’ll give you money,” she repeated. “But on the condition that with that money you move back to Valla.”

“What?” Takumi gulped, knowing he definitely did not mishear her words.

_Valla?_ Was Charlotte that set on sending him far away from her? He knew her extreme need for them not to be siblings anymore and she usually couldn’t bear him being in the same air space, but he had never expected her to try to go this far. Cheve was a fairly big city which would explain how seeing one another so often was odd, but that didn’t mean the city wasn’t big enough.

“Think about it,” Charlotte sighed as if she was getting bored of the conversation that she had started. “Your life was better there.”

Valla would always be a place in his heart. He had grown up there and had two loving people he also considered family. But he couldn’t just leave Cheve either...right? After all, the suburban city has taken a place in his heart too.

Charlotte got up, apparently having said all she needed to, leaving her coffee cup sitting on the table as she began to walk away. She seemed oddly confident, already knowing that her words had taken effect. She already knew what his choice would end up being even if he was still unsure.

Takumi could’ve sworn he saw a smirk form on her glossed lips as she left him to his thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sighing, Takumi spent the next day packing up some things into a few boxes. He had gotten a call earlier from Azura who had excitedly told him all about how Arete had finally opened up the restaurant she had been dreaming about. He had remembered how hard the blue haired woman had worked to achieve her goal and couldn’t help but smile. At least they were having a good time.

Azura continued to tell him about how they really needed extra help with it all and were still looking for potential employees. She even suggested that Takumi could come back to Valla for a bit to help out.

As he continued to clean up the house and pack his belongings, Takumi found Charlotte’s offer even more tempting. Going back to Valla could be better for him, even open a more successful path for him to follow. But something about his experience in Cheve made him want to stay. He couldn’t just leave the city just like that. But as much as he wanted to continue his adventure there, he didn’t have a house or job. Plus he had to move out in a week. On the other hand he had a rich secretary offering to pay the flight and affairs he needed to make a better life in another country.

While tossing a few items away, a box caught his eye. He realized it was the one filled with the armour and fantasy wear that the four had arrived in. He couldn't stop the small smile that formed at what he thought would be a bad memory.

Knowing that the possibility of him staying was slim he had to return their clothing. He picked up the heavy box with plenty of difficulty and miraculously managed to put it in the back of his truck.

When he arrived at the front of the company building, he was surprised to find the four standing there, talking amongst themselves. He couldn’t help but feel relieved and grateful that he didn’t have to walk too far especially since he had to haul the heavy box of clothing to them.

The sight of the silver haired boy also seemed to surprise the others, though in a good way which Takumi found more unnerving since he had definite bad news. Despite the terrible events of the past days he managed to greet all of them with a smile.

Niles, Odin and Silas seemed to be musing over a cell phone that unfortunately found its way into their hands. Takumi felt bad for the phone as the three varied from aggressively and gently tapping on the screen repetitively.

“What brings you here?” Leo asked and as a small grin formed on his soft looking lips, Takumi began to wonder if the prince had grown taller or he had simply gotten shorter than he remembered. Maybe it was just the feeling of wanting to shrink.

Leo hadn’t seen the other for a while and finally meeting the other’s amber eyes somehow made him a bit happier. He however could sense the uneasiness of the other as his gaze shifted to look down at the concrete floor.

“I thought that I should return this to you,” Takumi explained, grabbing the heavy box almost immediately dropping it with a loud thud (and clang from the metal armour).

“Oops,” he grimaced. “Well um anyway, I thought you’d probably need your belongings back.”

Leo wondered for a brief moment why Takumi couldn’t just keep their things tucked away in the closet of his, but remembered how rude it would be and inconvenient for him.

“That might leave a dent or two,” Leo sighed before Takumi remembered something else.

“Oh, um I also found this while packing,” Takumi handed the other the embroidered handkerchief he had stumbled upon while grabbing the box of armour. He had never seen it before, so he assumed it belonged to the taller blond.

Leo’s face immediately lit up at the sight of the cloth which Takumi totally didn’t find adorable. Totally.

“Camellias right?” He recognized the flowers, knowing they were called tsubaki as well. They were lovely flowers that Takumi wish he could grow.

“Right,” the blond breathed, nodding his head slightly as his thumb followed the patterns of the skillfully embroidered flower petals.

Takumi knew how talented the person must’ve been to make such detailed and beautiful masterpieces with just embroidery thread and couldn’t help but admire the work as well. He obviously wasn’t going to say this out loud, but he was one hundred percent sure Leo wasn’t the one who made it. Not that he didn’t think he had the talent for it, it just appeared as if Leo was a simple admirer himself...unless people stared at their own work in awe.

Leo smiled, holding the cloth tightly yet gently in his hands, making sure not to wrinkle the cloth or crease it. The fact that his wife’s work had made it back to his hands even in the future was another sign of fate.

His smile suddenly turned into a frown in realization, shocking Takumi as he wondered if he had ever seen someone change expressions so fast.

“What do you mean by _packing_?” the blond asked, concerned.

That wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to slip up like that, especially when he was most definitely not ready to say farewell to the other. The fact that he was also very unprepared made him immediately stiffen or avoid eye contact frantically.

“Did I say packing? I...I,” he gulped instinctively, biting the inside of his cheek. “I meant that I have to go right now.”

He turned on his heel not even getting as far as two steps before Leo stopped him.

“Takumi,” he said sternly, determined to get to the bottom of all this.

“Leo,” Takumi took a deep breath, spinning back around to face him. “I’m...I’m selling the house and leaving.”

He knew it was only right to tell the other, but immediately after the words left his mouth he felt more weight on his shoulders than he had before.

“Leaving? What do you mean by leaving?” Leo asked in disbelief.

Takumi found it a lot harder to continue the rest of his explanation as he saw how shocked Leo looked, hurt even possible to find in his brown eyes.

“I’m leaving Cheve and,” Takumi bit his lip hesitating slightly, “going to Valla.”

Takumi was still uncertain about leaving Cheve and heading for Valla, but he most likely would. And it was better to play safe instead of giving anyone false hope.

Leo swallowed a lump in his throat. Takumi was leaving? He...he couldn’t just walk away from Cheve. He couldn’t just show up, drop off a box with their Nohrian wear and say he was leaving out of the blue. Leo and the others still hadn’t paid their debt yet. He had to stop him from making such a big mistake. He couldn’t let him-

“Leo!” Elise’s voice shouted behind him, sounding quite excited. “Leo!”

Leo ignored the shouts for his name, refusing to turn around in case Takumi would walk away and drive off. He had to make sure the other was thinking clearly in the head. Walking away from the life he had built in this city was foolish.

“Leo!” the shouts continued.

“She’s calling you,” Takumi said quietly stepping back a bit.

“Leo, Charlotte wants to talk to you!” Elise persisted.

The sound of the woman’s name instinctively caused Leo’s head to turn to face the two blonde women who both smiled at him. Takumi knew that the prince must’ve preferred the other’s company so he took the chance to leave and head back to pack a bit more.

Leo gave a half-hearted wave as Charlotte and Elise headed towards him. His younger sister was clearly already shipping the two, happily skipping off to have fun with the other three boys who had discovered the camera in the phone.

“I heard your memory still hasn’t recovered. Especially revolving around the company building,” Charlotte explained. “So I volunteered to help give you a tour of it. If that is alright with you of course.”

Leo gave a small smile, clutching the handkerchief tightly as he spoke to the face of his wife.

“I gladly accept your offer,” he thanked her, bowing his head slightly.

“That’s a relief,” Charlotte laughed softly. “I was worried you were going to reject me. Which would be a shame because I actually quite enjoy spending time with you.”

Charlotte wasn’t sure if this was her calling or not, but it was an opportunity for her. If she managed to be in a romantic relationship with one of the CEO’s sons, then the chances of her getting fired for her lies were slimmer. Not one hundred percent impossible, but slimmer. This put her one step ahead of Zola and whatever tricks he’d try to pull on her.

So she’d have to manipulate a man’s feelings. It wasn’t a big deal and lying wasn't as hard as it looked. It didn’t hurt that Leo was handsome and mighty attractive as well.

“Then I’m glad that I feel the same way too,” Leo said, contently and truthfully.

Charlotte said a few more kind words, though Leo’s mind was half processing them. Although she made his heart beat faster and his being feel warm with love, he couldn’t help but feel a small aching.

As they bid their farewells, Leo’s heart sank once he turned around only to find Takumi long gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo was still getting used to the large mansion his family lived in. He was used to navigating through the dark halls of the Nohrian castle, but the modern house for some odd reason puzzled him. It was so much easier living in a small rooftop house opposed to the maze like mansion that his siblings had no trouble walking through. Niles, Odin and Silas were staying in a guest room that night, already fast asleep when Leo made his way quietly down the stairs.

He found a familiar blond head, working on some paperwork in the dining room.

He hated to interrupt people especially when they had such important tasks to finish as he knew how annoying it felt to be stopped in the middle of signing and reading gruesome letters and papers from noblemen and women. He could only imagine what modern day paperwork was like.

Leo knocked gently on the wall catching his brother's attention.

“It’s quite late in the night, Leo. What has kept you up?” Xander asked as Leo sat on one of the chairs.

“I’ve just been thinking as of late about my memories,” Leo explained as his brother forgot about his paperwork entirely to listen to what he had to say.

“Have they returned?” Xander knew that that was obviously not the case, but it didn’t hurt trying.

“No,” Leo shook his head. “The thing is, I thought that I would remember things better surrounded by the place I grew up in.”

“But nothing has happened so far,” he continued. “And because of this I believe that maybe it’s best for my friends and I to live somewhere else for a while. To recover.”

“I see,” Xander frowned slightly, nodding his head.

“I believe it might help me get my memories back,” Leo explained attempting not to sound desperate.

“Very well. I’ll see if there are any places available that father owns,” Xander twirled the pen in his hands, tapping it a few times on the smooth dining table.

“Actually,” Leo took a deep breath. “I have another place in mind.”

Xander raised an eyebrow as he wondered when Leo had the time to find another house to live in for his recovery.

“It’s a place that’s on sale at the moment,” Leo explained. “Please, Xander. You know that I’m not one to ask for favors, but I’d like to buy it.”

Xander would’ve liked to say no and reject such an idea. But the look of determination in his brother’s eyes was prominent and Xander found himself agreeing with it all. He hadn’t seen his brother look so dead set on something for such a long time. If this was what he truly wanted, especially to help with his lost memories, then who was Xander to disagree with the idea?

“What would you like to buy?” Xander asked curiously. Their family owned so many different types of houses, from cottages to beach houses, so the older man wondered what possible place seemed to interest his younger brother so much.

He also couldn’t help but wonder what the true drive to this determination was. Smiling a bit, Xander definitely knew it wasn’t just his forgotten memories that caused his younger brother to want to purchase a place.

Leo had finally figured out what had troubled him all this time about living with his family in the mansion. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to leave the rooftop. It was simply because he had no intention of leaving the insufferable, shorter silver haired boy. And since that was the case, Leo had to make sure that the other wasn’t going to do something stupid.

Leo smiled slightly.

“A rooftop house.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it! Pain in this chapter after the cute fluff I gave you last...hehe (evil laugh). But a hopeful cliffhanger, cause Leo's planing something ;)
> 
> Poor Takumi does not deserve to suffer so much, especially since there is much...much...MUCH more coming his way. 
> 
> I hope you still enjoyed (can you 'enjoy' this chapter without sounding sadistic?) this chapter! I am still writing as I am on vacation and I have at least one prewritten chapter (back to doing that XD)
> 
> And again as usual, thank you for reading and I cannot wait to give you another chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi leaving + Leo the hero = shopping trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bleeeeeeeeeeeeeh!
> 
> This update took forever...sighs heavily. Don't think the next one will be up any sooner. So a thousand sorrys in advance. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter despite all this.

“I should go to Valla. I already told everyone that I would,” Takumi stated matter-of-factly, sitting up straightly. “I also packed everything up.”

“But I want to stay in Cheve too,” Takumi sighed, leaning back to lie down on the wooden floor of the living room he had cleaned and cleared already. “I haven’t even been here for long and I’m already being pushed out.”

He sat back up to stare at the Kinshi plush he had placed on one of the packed cardboard boxes. “What do you think?”

The plush stayed absolutely still, adorable eyes remaining...well adorable, but no answer was provided which would’ve been greatly appreciated.

“Why can’t you talk?” Takumi groaned, putting his forehead on the box, sighing defeatedly.

“Okay, let’s try something different,” Takumi balanced the plush gently, holding it in place. “If you fall then I leave and if you stay balanced, I stay in Cheve.”

He let go of the white Kinshi as it fell to the floor, giving him his answer.

Takumi picked it up again, biting his lip nervously. “Let’s try that again.”

The Kinshi fell to the floor over and over again, disappointing the man. He held the plush still again, until someone arriving at the rooftop startled him, prompting him to check who it was. Little did he know that as he left the empty living room, the Kinshi stayed balanced, sitting perfectly on the box.

Takumi walked out to find Leo, Silas, Niles and Odin waiting for him at the rooftop confusing him greatly.

“What are you guys doing here?” He asked curiously.

“We came to help you pack,” Leo explained. “It’s the least we could do for you after causing you so much trouble.”

“Oh,” Takumi was quite disappointed with the explanation. He felt a bit hurt by that as they were literally helping him pack so he could leave. “Okay.”

“I um put almost everything away already,” Takumi gestured for them to follow him inside. “But there are a few more things in the kitchen.”

“I’ll go ahead and work on that,” Leo went off and Takumi made himself busy by putting away the thin curtains he had.

Odin sighed, putting a hand to his forehead while Silas paced a bit.

“I can’t believe the prince is actually helping Takumi get ready to leave this city,” Silas shook his head in disbelief. “I would’ve thought he’d try to convince him to stay.”

“Yeah. Nowadays his highness hasn’t confided us with his plans all that much,” Odin frowned. “He may be packing, but we cannot just sit back and watch Takumi leave.”

“But what can we do?” Niles sighed. “Place is already completely put away. All the furniture is gone and it doesn’t even look like someone lives in here.”

“I hope Leo knows what he is doing,” Silas mumbled as the other two agreed.

They were sent to the future to solve the assassination. Leo had already told them about Charlotte, Princess Calla’s reincarnation. If uncovering the truth would bring them back home to Nohr, then they would have to solve the mystery. However, that wasn’t at all what any of the four were thinking about doing at the moment. All of them seemed to have their mind set on Takumi’s departure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Charlotte smiled happily to herself, drinking her frappuccino, celebrating her sweet victory. Takumi was going to be gone from her life and all would be well.

Raining on her parade, Zola sat across from the lady, scowling. Charlotte grimaced as she saw the other sighing as she flattened the whipped cream by stirring with her straw.

“What do you want, Zola?” She asked, eyes not even focusing on the man. “Here to complain about how you failed to even murder a single person?”

“Oh you shut it,” he hissed, tapping his fingers anxiously on the table.

“I’m just wondering how they could all be alive,” the blond man pondered. “They should at least be injured in some way. You can’t just walk away from a car accident unscathed. So how are they standing perfectly healthy?”

“And you’d expect me to know?” Charlotte snorted.

“Of course not. As if you’d know anything,” Zola waved her question off earning a scoff.

“Then why are you even having a conversation with me? I was faring fine until you showed up,” Charlotte sighed with a bored expression on her face.

“Look, I know that I haven’t been the nicest to you or whatever,” Zola explained lowering his voice as if anyone would want to eavesdrop. “But I can’t let anyone figure out what I tried to do.”

“And you think I’d want to help you?” Charlotte laughed bitterly. “My life is beyond perfect right now, so why the hell would I get involved with a criminal?”

“I know it’s not like me to ask for your help,” Zola seemed frantic, extremely worried. Charlotte almost cared for a second. “B-but please consider this.”

“You actually think that I would consider helping you of all people get away with a murder attempt?” The blonde smiled, mockingly. “No thank you.”

“Fine, don’t help me,” Zola spat, gritting his teeth. “But I’m warning you to stay away from those guys. They’re not who you think they are.”

“As if I’d take advice from you,” Charlotte glowered. “And what’s with the sudden care for my well being when you’ve been harassing me for so long?”

It didn’t make any sense. Zola in his own right didn’t make any sense. Was he implying that he was just teasing her and threatening her for his own entertainment? Did he honestly think they had some connection that would possibly make Charlotte want to help him?

She grabbed her cup of coffee before leaving the cafe, insulted the businessman would dare to even think for a mere second that she would aid him with his own life problem. It was his fault, so why would she help him fix the situation he caused because of his own jealousy and hatred?

Pitiful. Just pitiful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi let the night air cool him off a bit as he stood at the ledge of the balcony rooftop. He stared at the city, bright lights and bustling roads trying to make himself at the very least happier. After the four men had left, he had sent all his furniture that he had packed to a donation centre. The course of the day only seemed to make everything more depressing.

Pulling out the twine dolls from his pocket he managed a small smile.

“Why does bad luck always seem to be on my side?” He asked, holding the figures in front of him with his index finger and thumb.

Just like the Kinshi, the figures obviously didn’t reply. However he didn’t really need a verbal answer as the dolls slipped from his grip.

“Shoot,” Takumi muttered as he peered over the ledge slightly. Curse his bad luck.

Luckily (a bit of good luck at the very least), the figures managed to fall onto one of the power cables against the brick wall, hanging securely.

Takumi leaned forward a bit, unable to reach them, so he went forward a bit more. He was standing on his toes, trying his hardest to reach the dolls, fingers grazing twine several times but to no avail. This was definitely the world taunting him, wasn’t it?

Placing them so close,yet unreachable cause of his stupid height. Gritting his teeth, Takumi leaned a bit more forward, making sure not to lose his footing.

Leo took a deep breath, walking up the stairs as he made it to the rooftop. It took a bit of time slipping away from his family as they seemed to be awfully clingy ever since his ‘disappearance,’ however he managed to convince them to let him walk outside on his free will.

He was expecting to find Takumi to be inside the house not leaning onto the ledge of the roof. What did he think he was doing? Leo thought he was crazy when he had said he was leaving the city, but now...now this passed the line. He couldn't let him die just like that.

Panicking, Leo ran towards the other. Unable to think straight, Leo wrapped his arms tightly around the shorter male, startling him.

“Don’t do it,” Leo spoke hurriedly as Takumi raised an eyebrow addressing the pair of arms hugging him.

What was he doing?

“Don’t do it,” the blond repeated as he continued to hold the other closely. “I know your life seems rough right now, but that doesn’t mean you should end it.”

Takumi who had been confused until this point realized what was going on.

“Leo, please let go,” Takumi sighed as the other only held him tighter.

“Promise me you won’t jump,” Leo said and Takumi could almost hear desperation in his voice.

“I wasn’t going to-”

“Promise me,” Leo bit his lip, refusing to let go until he made sure the other wasn’t going to take his own life.

Takumi realized how panicked the other was. He really thought he was going to jump, wasn’t he? Any clever comment or joke he was going to utter immediately disappeared.

“I...I promise I won’t jump,” Takumi spoke softly, taken aback at how small and meek he sounded.

The arms around him slowly let him go which Takumi guiltily missed. The shorter rolled his shoulders back a few times, stretching them out after the crushing hug. He always thought that the prince was a more reserved person and definitely did not expect his death grip of a hug to be so strong.

Takumi briefly reminded himself that Leo didn’t stop him from dying, just stopped him from getting the twine dolls which was more of a set back than anything. He peered over the ledge once again, trying to get a better look before Leo grabbed his arm firmly. “You promised.”

“Relax,” Takumi lightly smacked the hand holding him. “I’m not going to jump you idiot. I wasn’t even in the first place.”

“Then why were dangling from the edge like that?” Leo asked in disbelief.

“I was trying to get…” Takumi stopped himself bashfully before pointing downwards. He was going to get teased for this.

Leo curiously peered over the edge to spot the twine dolls hanging on the power line.

“Again?” He breathed an amused laugh.

“Shut up,” Takumi huffed, eyes looking away in embarrassment.

Smirking, the prince leaned on the ledge slightly, managing to grab the twine dolls once again. Takumi smiled contently as Leo held the figures towards him.

“Three times, short stack,” Leo pointed out. “And three times too many.”

“Shut up,” Takumi repeated, grabbing the twine figures out of the other’s hand. “Why are you even here in the middle of the night anyway?”

“I left something here when I was helping you pack up,” Leo replied, gesturing Takumi to follow him as he walked back inside the house.

Leo opened the kitchen cupboards to reveal a can of whipped cream and a small container of cotton candy from the convenience store. The taller male smirked knowingly as Takumi smiled, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“You seemed quite upset, so I thought I’d leave these as a surprise,” Leo explained, grabbing the items before the two sat on the wooden floor leaning against the bare wall.

Of course the blond would get the two foods Takumi had given him when they were upset. And it had to be annoyingly sweet and thoughtful of him. Leo was not making any of this easier, especially since he was heading for Valla the next day. The silver haired man kind of wanted to kick himself for feeling...happy around the other.

Leo opened the cotton candy container and Takumi couldn’t help but wonder how many cavities he was probably going to get from this.

Takumi grabbed the can of cream, shaking it for good measure before instructing Leo to open his mouth. He purposely put too much with a mischievous smile on his face as Leo glared back.

The blond had come prepared though, pulling out a napkin from his pocket. He didn’t think he would actually need it. Teaches him for having faith in the younger man.

“Are you ever going to tell me why you have those?” Leo asked as he stared at the strange twine dolls. He had returned them to the other three times now and had never truly discovered what was so important about them.

Takumi sighed, lifting them up, seeing their hands were still tied behind their backs.

“I’ve never been rich like your family,” Takumi explained. “I’ve always had to work hard for the money I needed. And all that hard work came with stress. And with all that stress I felt like giving up.”

“But then I remembered a story. A story I heard when I was younger,” he continued. “It was about two overworked parents who would walk through this meadow filled with cherry blossoms. That relaxed them and made them realize that the world and life itself had much more value than they had originally thought.”

Leo nodded his head as the other told his story.

“I always wanted to walk through one or see one at least cause I felt somewhat connected to that tale,” Takumi smiled. “So whenever I feel overworked or stressed, I picture myself walking through a cherry blossom meadow and I feel a bit happier.”

“These,” Takumi lifted the twine figures up. “Are dolls made with cherry blossom seeds.”

Leo watched as Takumi pointed to the twine limbs.

“If you tie their hands behind their backs, you earn money,” Takumi explained as Leo noticed his were tied thusly raising an amused eyebrow.

“If you tie their legs together, you find love,” The shorter went on. “And if you tie their hands together, it will grant you health.”

“You are wishing for wealth?” Leo raised an eyebrow questioningly as Takumi rolled his eyes.

“I told you I had to work hard for the money I have,” he huffed. “It didn’t hurt wishing a bit either.”

Takumi untied the string limbs, placing the figures into Leo’s hand suddenly, confusing the blond.

“It hasn’t worked though, so I see no point to it anymore,” Takumi sighed, breathing a short bitter laugh. “I guess you can try wishing for something then. Your luck is far better than mine I suppose.”

Leo ran a finger over the cherry blossom seeds, holding it tightly in his hand. A short silence fell upon the two as Takumi solemnly looked at the place he had called home before. Instead of having the furniture and decorations it used to have that gave it character, it was now bare. Cleaned and ready for the next owner. Maybe they’d have a better adventure here than he ever did.

“Don’t do it,” Leo said suddenly, voice gentle but the persistence still there.

“I’m nowhere near the balcony, Leo,” Takumi joked half-heartedly.

“I know,” Leo shook his head slightly. “I meant don’t go to Valla.”

Oh.

Takumi frowned. It was far too late for that. Although he felt a bit happy to know the other wanted him to stay, it was all over. His time here in the city had been taken away just like that.

“Leo, you know I can’t stay,” Takumi bit his lip. “Everything has already been arranged. The house was already sold to someone else and I leave tomorrow on the bus to Valla.”

Leo clenched his jaw, thinking for a few moments. He had his mindset and wouldn’t give up just yet.

“But don’t you understand why I left those things in the cupboard in the first place?” Leo asked, making Takumi ponder for a bit. “I knew you’d come back here for the night, even if this place has no furniture for you to rest on. You came back because you love this place and couldn’t bear to leave it.”

“Tch. I was just too lazy to check into a hotel,” Takumi muttered, even though they both knew he was lying.

“If you don’t want to leave,” Leo brushed aside his small comment. “Then don’t.”

Takumi bit the inside of his cheek. He just wanted to say goodbye to this house one last time before he had to leave for Valla. Maybe he shouldn’t have came. Then Leo wouldn’t be here trying to convince him to stay. As much as he wanted to, no matter how much he loved living in Cheve, Takumi had to remember all the reasons why it was best for him in Valla.

He’d have a job there and a home. He wouldn’t get in the way of someone’s perfect life and most importantly, he wouldn’t be involved with Corrin. Charlotte had been right. He couldn’t just ruin Leo’s life by sticking by him.

“I...I can’t stay here as much as I’d like to,” Takumi sighed, refusing to meet the other’s gaze.

“Promise you won’t go,” Leo breathed, mind still confused on why he was so determined to stop the other from going.

“I...I can’t do that either,” Takumi nearly whispered.

He expected the other to say something, but he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as well. A silence fell upon them and Takumi wasn’t sure whether he found it comfortable or unbearable. Eventually the two had fallen asleep, growing tired of their own thoughts and lulling themselves into a slumber.

When Takumi had awoken early in the morning as an early riser, he had found Leo had left (luckily with the food). He had also found the Kinshi plushie under his head as a pillow and Leo’s hoodie draped over him as a small blanket.

Sitting up, slightly confused, Takumi picked up the bird stuffie and hugged it close to his chest instinctively, thinking about his soon departure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo smiled as he continued his conversation with Charlotte, the two sitting comfortably in a coffee shop.

“I’ve never met anyone who can drink straight up black coffee before and actually enjoy it,” Charlotte remarked, amazed at how the blond could stand the bitterness. “Not even Xander can handle a cup.”

Leo looked down at the black beverage in his white mug, stirring it around a bit.

“I guess I’ve never quite enjoyed putting sugar in most of my drinks,” Leo pointed out, remembering how he didn’t put sugar in his tea quite often either.

“You don’t like putting even a little sugar?” Charlotte asked, taking a short sip of her iced latte. “I always thought you’d be the one to have a sweet tooth. Then again I believe your younger sister probably has the biggest sweet tooth out of the family.”

“Elise does like her food sweet. Overly sweet even,” Leo agreed before explaining, “I guess I always preferred sweet things when I’m upset.”

“That’s interesting,” Charlotte breathed a laugh. “For me it’s the other way around. I always enjoyed bitter things when I’m upset.”

Leo smiled a bit, taking in his surroundings. The both of them agreed to go out for a bit of morning coffee. He had wanted to spend a bit more time with Charlotte for a while and now finally getting that made him feel a bit more relaxed and happier.

He had missed their simple conversations. It was almost as if the two could talk about anything for days and be completely interested.

Leo, who had just gotten a new phone (and learned how to use it properly) got a phone call.

“Excuse me,” Leo said politely, taking out his phone before answering the call which came from Silas.

He had sent the other three to the rooftop house earlier, but they explained that Takumi was long gone, but had left his hoodie neatly folded on the floor. He had now given them a different task.

“Hello?”

“We found the time, your hi-, I mean Leo,” Silas exclaimed, managing to catch himself. He still had to get used to not using formal titles.

“That’s a relief,” Leo sighed. “But what took you so long?”

“We...we kind of got side tracked by this app game,” Silas admitted shamefully. “It was really frustrating and we kept getting stuck on this one level where-”

“Silas, I think you’re getting side tracked again,” Leo pointed out. He would’ve offered a laugh if weren’t for how impatient he was.

“Right, sorry,” Silas laughed bashfully. “Well the only bus leaving for Valla is going iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin…”

It sounded as if Silas was checking again to be sure as Leo pressed his lips into a thin line anxiously.

“...five minutes,” he finished as Leo’s eyes widened in shock.

“Five minutes?” He would’ve rubbed his temples if weren't for the phone in his hand.

“It could’ve been ten if we called you earlier,” Silas said, as Leo sighed.

“Alright then, I’ll be going,” Leo ended the call, facing Charlotte.

“I apologize, but I need to go elsewhere at the moment,” Leo quickly excused himself. “I’ve had a wonderful time with you and I hope we could do this again sometime.”

Charlotte smiled kindly as he ran out of the cafe, heading for the bus stop as if his life depended on it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi watched the bus driver push his luggage into the bunk before he entered the bus, finding his seat near the front. He sat on the soft window seat, carrying the Kinshi plush he didn’t have the heart to stuff into his suitcase.

He took a deep breath as the bus began driving, looking out the window as he bid his farewell to Cheve. He squeezed the stuffed animal, hoping luck was on his side this time.

Leo sprinted to the bus stop only to see the automobile drive away before he could make it.

“I should’ve made him promise,” Leo mumbled as he slowed to a tired jog.

As he watched the bus get irritatingly further and further away, Leo caught a giant billboard in the corner of his eye. A truck was parked next to him holding an unfinished billboard that needed to have the words for the advertisement printed, no doubt about to head to the factory now.

Leo smiled at the cherry blossom grotto, almost definite that it was fate.

“Perfect.”

He stopped the truck driver as he began walking past him.

“Listen, son I have to deliver this quickly alright?” The driver explained, about to walk away once again.

“I’ll pay you for your service,” Leo exclaimed, surprising the man. “As long as you do me a favour.”

“What do you need?” he asked curiously.

“I need to chase after that bus,” Leo explained. “Or at least drive beside it.”

“Are you sure, boy?” the driver scratched his neck, uncertainty in his voice, eyeing the blonde from head to toe just to make sure he wasn’t crazy. “This costs a hefty price and is being manufactured for Corrin. I don’t think it’s safe for me to deliver it late.”

If he remembered correctly, Camilla occasionally helped with the advertisements involving posters and billboards, so he hoped that she would allow him at least one favour as her lost younger brother, something he himself found to be quite selfish, which he would have to make up for later.

“Trust me. I’ll make sure you’ll be fine,” Leo ushered the driver and they both climbed inside.

The prince didn’t bother putting on his seatbelt, eyes focused on the road as the bus slowly came into his view. This plan had to work. For some reason he couldn’t- no he wouldn’t let Takumi leave the city he loved so much. After working so hard here, he deserved to stay in the place he grew to be happy in.

He may be absolutely crazy, his plan was anyway, but on his honour as a prince he could not let an opportunity be wasted.

The truck managed to drive alongside the bus and Leo scanned the bus windows in attempts to find the long haired man. When he finally spotted him, the blond tried to wave to him in attempts to get the other’s attention.

“Come on. Look this way,” Leo mumbled, waving frantically and praying he didn’t look as ridiculous as he felt. Takumi definitely owed him for this. The prince continued to wave, trying not to think about how stupid he looked and more so at the task at hand.

Meanwhile, Takumi looked at the seat in front of him sadly almost in a small daze. He absentmindedly looked out the window, smiling a bit at the sight. A truck was driving beside the bus, a picture of a meadow of blooming cherry blossom trees. The image made him feel a bit more happy as he stared at the grotto for a bit longer.

However the billboard soon shifted away from his view and Takumi’s eyes immediately fell on the idiotic crown royal who was sitting in the passenger seat of the truck, waving at him. The younger man’s eyes widened in shock as he wondered what the hell the other was doing.

Other passengers began to notice Leo attempting to get Takumi’s attention as he began to sink in his seat. He used his hair to cover his face as he turned away, praying that Leo had lost sight of him. If he didn’t see Leo, then Leo didn’t see him. Cause that was how it worked.

The prince’s arms were growing tired and his victory was extremely short lived. Leo scoffed as Takumi turned away as if he hadn’t caught sight of him at all.

_Insufferable._

Fine. If he couldn’t get Takumi to stop the bus then he just had to do everything himself. This time around he waved to the bus driver signaling him to stop, hoping he didn’t look like a maniac, though he knew he certainly did.

Thankfully and surprisingly the bus pulled over, assuming he was some desperate guy who had missed the bus and manage to hitch a ride in a truck. Leo wanted to believe that if in any case he were a murderer or a psychopath that the bus would not have stopped.

Leo quickly got out of the vehicle (embarrassingly almost killing himself with the truck door) and into the bus, walking along the aisle, easily finding Takumi who insultingly didn’t look like he wanted to see the other.

The silver haired boy had been praying for the bus to start again before the royal got on, but to no avail. He quickly covered his face with the Kinshi, also to no avail.

“Takumi,” Leo poked the other’s head. “You know deep in your heart that you want to stay in this city.”

“Leo,” Takumi lowered the stuffie shield, pouting.

“Don’t worry about the job or the house,” Leo smiled, taking a hold of the other's hand. “For now worry about how much you owe me for riding in a truck to chase after you.”

“Owe you? You're the one who's still in debt,” Takumi pointed out, blushing faintly.

“Promise me you’ll stay in Cheve,” Leo pulled Takumi up. “This time I’m not taking ‘I can’t’ as a valid excuse.”

Takumi rolled his eyes, knowing very well he probably wasn’t staying on this bus if the Prince had anything to say about it. He took a deep breath and said, quietly, “I...I promise.”

The next thing he knew, everyone on the bus was cheering and as Leo dragged Takumi out he could’ve sworn the bus driver gave Leo a high five. They awkwardly stood next to Takumi’s suitcase, hand in hand before they realized what they were doing and let go.

The truck driver offered to give them a ride home, winking at them (believing them to be a couple) causing Takumi to blush furiously while Leo had no clue what the man assumed was happening.

At least he had the tiniest sliver of good luck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Why are we back here?” Takumi asked, curiously as they arrived at the bottom steps to the rooftop house. “Someone else already bought the house, so we shouldn’t disturb them.”

“I don’t believe we have to worry about that,” Leo smirked.

“Just because you’re rich doesn’t make you automatically own every place you walk in,” Takumi scolded as the two began making their way up the steps, taking a while since Takumi was carrying his suitcase.

“Yes, yes, that is correct,” Leo’s excited grin never left his face, interesting the other. “If it were a different case. But I actually do own this place.”

He owned what?

“Y-you...you’re the one who...?” Takumi asked (or tried to), completely shocked.

_The smart, no good little twit that he didn’t know whether to hug or punch._

“You dummy,” Takumi settled for lightly punching the taller man’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“And why would I ruin such a surprise?” Leo asked simply as Takumi rolled his eyes.

“Um, I don’t know,” Takumi had his own small grin. “So you wouldn’t have had to chase after a bus, waving through the open window of a truck?”

“Fair point,” Leo sighed. Add that to the pile of memories he didn’t want to remember. If only you could easily dispose of memories you didn’t wish to keep.

“Wait! What about all the furniture?” Takumi asked, lifting the suitcase over another stone step. “I donated everything. Isn’t the house completely empty then?”

Leo quickly pulled Takumi out of harm’s way as a few workers began transporting a new couch inside.

“What the…”

People were on the rooftop moving in expensive...really expensive looking furniture inside. Takumi almost felt guilty since his former house looked kind of unworthy of the items being put in it. But that was besides the point right now.

“When I convinced my brother to buy this house,” Leo began to explain. “I thought it would be best to have less peasant furniture.”

Takumi scowled, but couldn’t exactly deny the blond. He was pretty poor and just settled on the cheapest types of furniture. It was still a decent life style though, so describing it as peasant decor was a bit of an inaccurate insult.

“You are so lucky you were born rich in both of your lives,” Takumi glowered, but couldn’t exactly stay bitter for long as he watched all the moving.

“Takumi!” Silas beamed, waving. “So I take it Leo made it to the bus stop just in the knick of time.”

“Actually-” Takumi breathed a laugh.

“Yes. I made it just in time,” Leo cut the shorter off and Takumi could’ve sworn he saw him blush in embarrassment.

“That’s a relief,” The knight sighed. “I thought you would’ve arrived late.”

“Especially with that coffee break you took,” Niles grinned as Takumi raised an eyebrow. _Coffee break, huh?_

The glare the prince shot at the archer was unseen as the man had went off to retrieve something quickly before returning.

“Your sweater milord,” Niles continued as he held up the hoodie that Takumi had lamely folded for the other. “Considering how well you are at putting clothes the right way, allow me to help you put it on.”

Leo could feel his right eye twitch to that comment as he frowned at the former criminal.

“I apologize if I’m not the best,” Niles smirked, sending what everyone assumed was a wink. “My forté lies in _taking off_ clothes more so than putting them on.”

“I’ll do it myself, Niles,” Leo scowled as he snatched his hoodie back, gritting his teeth. “Must you be so crude?”

As Takumi watched the scene unfold and Leo hastily put on his sweater, he realized that all four of them were still wearing the clothing they had received when they had first arrived. The silver haired man gulped as he remembered how foolish they looked for businessmen. He felt a bit of second hand embarrassment for them since he knew that they probably attracted strange looks for their appearance in the company building.

“This might take a while,” Odin pointed out as the movers continued putting furniture inside. Takumi found it strange that all these men and women were taking so long with the moving when he had to move everything out and into a truck by himself in a few hours.

“What should we do while we’re waiting?”

“I have an idea,” Takumi smiled as he looked at all their clothing once more. He couldn’t believe he was really going to say the next three words. “We’re going shopping.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Folding the dress shirts that didn’t make the cut, Takumi sighed in relief as it was finally over. They had all managed to find the perfect ensembles for them to wear as assumed businessmen and he did not need another fashion montage. After purchasing all the clothing, Takumi let them all roam around the store, showing a bit more faith in them all.

Neatly placing the shirts back where he had found them (cause he wasn’t going to be one of those people), Takumi turned around, jumping back as he was met with Odin holding a very sparkly sequin jacket.

“What do you think?” the blond asked, waving it slightly.

“What do I think?” Takumi bit his lip as he tried to suppress his grimace. “It’s...um very…flashy.”

“The sparkles just remind me so much of the clothing Nohrian dancers wore,” Odin explained. “I always thought they looked so glamorous, just literally made for the dancers themselves and the spotlight that would eventually reflect upon it all.”

“It really is eccentric,” Takumi nodded his head slightly. “But do you really think it’s good for you to wear not only everyday, but _at all_?”

“Me? Oh heavens no, although this jacket is quite my taste,” Odin shook his head quickly. “I was trying to find a few clothing items for you, Takumi.”

“What?” Takumi eyed the bedazzled jacket once again, looking back at Odin in disbelief.

“Well, you did bring us here to buy more appropriate clothing for the work we were chosen for,” Odin explained. “I would’ve thought that you would’ve wanted to upgrade your style a bit more as well.”

“And what is wrong with my style now?” Takumi asked, glowering at the other who seemed to nervously laugh.

“You don’t need two eyes to know it isn’t the most appropriate for a company building,” Niles smirked, holding a piece of jewelry in the light, knocking it a bit a few times on a nearby wall to check if it was genuine.

“Well unlike you four, I don’t work at Corrin,” Takumi pointed out as he watched Odin try on the jacket himself experimentally.

“The least you could do is put an effort in what you wear, my dear friend,” Odin sighed, doing a small turn.

“Are you saying I don’t look like I put an effort in what I wear?” Takumi frowned as Odin nervously avoided his eye contact and distracted himself with the shine of the sequins.

“I don’t understand why you’re getting so upset,” Niles hummed as he checked a few jeweled earrings. “He implied that you could dress yourself effortlessly.”

“He never specified if I dressed myself _well_ effortlessly,” Takumi countered as he wondered why he seemed to be so engrossed in such a stupid conversation.

“He also never said you didn’t dress yourself well effortlessly,” Niles clicked his tongue as Odin grinned cheekily at his newfound love for the jacket on him. Even the shorter could admit that the blond looked good in it.

Before Takumi could even think of something to say back to the other, Silas arrived excitedly holding a pair of sunglasses, which would somehow never get less adorable when one of the three found something new from this era.

“Look what I found,” Silas beamed, showing the other two his treasure that they all stared at curiously. “It’s the accessory that that police officer had...Scarlet I believe.”

“I still don’t quite understand these spectacles,” Odin tapped the tinted lenses. “Why would one visually impaired want to wear such a torturous type of glasses that actually make your vision seem worse?”

“What are the purpose of these anyway?” Silas asked, putting them on. His nose scrunched up as he hastily took them off. “It makes everything dimmer or darker.”

“Let me try,” Niles nimbly grabbed the pair and put them on as well. He looked around observantly before taking them off. “They do make everything dimmer...easier on the eyes maybe?”

Takumi didn’t have time to listen in on their conversation about the sunglasses and their strange theories on them. He sighed, realizing that the crown prince was nowhere to be found. Groaning he set off to go find him.

He walked around for a bit before wandering into the women’s section when he couldn’t find Leo in the men’s. Takumi was about to turn back and just spend the rest of their time at the clothing store with the other three. Leo couldn’t possibly be-

Takumi froze, seemingly shocked before he shook his head slightly and walked over to the blond who was standing in the accessory section, in front of a mirror.

“What are you doing?” Takumi asked, trying to sound annoyed but finding himself trying to hold back his laughter after getting closer.

The prince had put on a plain headband.

“I’m trying this…” Leo paused, pondering over what the accessory could be called.

“Headband,” Takumi murmured.

“...headband on,” Leo finished as Takumi crossed his arms.

The prince found himself liking this ‘headband.’ Wearing it was much more preferable compared to a crown he would eventually wear on his head. It was more lightweight, unlike the heavy king's crown that would only feel like his failures and the weight of the kingdoms weighing him down.

He knew his father was ill back in Nohr and he would assume the throne afterwards, but the mere title seemed too big for him. Being crown prince had already seemed like too much for such an incompetent person like himself. Once he was crowned king, he would only be known as the person who could never bring glory to Nohr like his father before him and his father before him.

“You know these hair accessories are for girls right. Probably little ones,” Takumi interrupted his thoughts, absentmindedly fixing the other’s crooked head piece. “Your sister probably has some of these in her closet.”

“Whether it is intended for women or not, I’ve grown to like it,” Leo smiled gently.

“You look stupid,” Takumi retorted.

“Of course you would say such a lame insult,” Leo sighed as Takumi clenched his jaw. “No matter how foolish I look, I have decided this headband suits me just fine.”

“I guess it does,” Takumi studied the other’s appearance. “You both look ridiculous.”

Leo rolled his eyes, ignoring the other’s jab and picking up a handful of jeweled hair clips in curiosity. Then an idea came into mind.

“You say girls like these type of things, right?” Leo asked. “What other things do they like?”

“Girls like tons of different stuff, they’re all different after all,” Takumi explained as he could imagine Hinata groaning in annoyance. Another reason why his friend usually didn’t come to him for dating or relationship advice.

“Yes, I do know that,” Leo sighed. “But what would you give to them as a gift?”

_Extremely weird and specific question_. Takumi shrugged it off however.

“Well, jewelery isn’t a bad option,” he suggested, leading the taller man to the display cases holding the finest necklaces and bracelets the shop had to offer.

“Like that,” he pointed to the case as they both observed the items.

Takumi wanted to see if there was anything good enough to give to his mother when her birthday came by. His Amber eyes scanned across each sparkling jewel, studying each emerald earring and pearl necklace. Nothing really seemed that good, but he probably wasn’t planning to give his mother jewelry as a gift anyway.

Leo seemed to also be studying the case, eyes searching for that perfect piece. Takumi couldn’t help but wonder what had gotten the other so entranced with bracelets and necklaces all of a sudden. Maybe he wanted something to give to one of his sisters.

“What would you buy?” Leo asked suddenly.

“Cause I’m a girl now,” Takumi glared at the other who smiled a bit innocently. “Whatever. If I was I’d choose…”

Takumi looked over the display one last time before pointing at a lovely bracelet, made up of rose gold beads, diamonds and pearls, gleaming light pink in some lightings. It seemed like a bracelet that a girl would like and he hoped his choice would satisfy the other for whatever his reason was.

Takumi shifted his gaze to look at the blond who was smiling a bit like an idiot as he stared at the jewelry item he had chosen. Once again, Takumi thought nothing of it really.

It was kind of distracting thinking about the other’s smile and how he looked almost a bit younger. Immediately turning his gaze back to anywhere else, Takumi cleared his throat, catching Leo’s attention. The blond didn’t seem to want to purchase the jewelry, so Takumi thought it was best to end sir little shopping session finally.

“Okay,” the younger grinned a bit. “Let’s go purchase anything else you guys wanted and get out of here.”

“Do you really think that people will respect us a bit more if we wear those suits?” Leo asked as they began to walk towards the others, who would later insist on buying everything.

“It’s not just the clothes you wear that will earn you respect,” Takumi explained. “But as a rich businessman’s son, you should at least dress like one.”

Leo took a deep breath, relishing again at the fact that he was now a businessman’s son. Not a prince. Which might actually be better. He wouldn’t really have servants pestering him or have everything shoved onto him since he was no longer the oldest. It was almost selfish on his part, which was one of the things he felt guilty for.

As the cashier neatly folded the clothing and put them into bags, Takumi had everyone carry their own purchases in attempts to be more organized. As they exited the store, high pitched beeping was all they could hear, before Takumi punched Leo’s shoulder (not-so-lightly).

“Headband,” they both sighed as the shorter dragged the other back into the store.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zola smoothed his blazer, taking a deep breath as he felt himself tremor slightly at the sight of the blond man. He couldn’t stop himself from looking away, biting his lip subtly.

The fact that Leo and his friends seemed to suffer from memory loss was only slightly comforting. After all, Xander had explained at the four were working on recovering their lost memories. If that were the case than they would eventually remember the car accident and it would eventually lead to Zola. Even if he had so much time to spare until then, he couldn’t risk it.

Glancing back at the younger male, Zola suddenly felt his uneasiness cease. He had watched in complete horror when he saw the car swerve into the lake, knowing very well that he had not murdered who he was intending. The car vanished beneath the water and the last thing Zola had caught a glimpse of were the small bubbles that formed as the vehicle was completely engulfed by the waters.

There was no possible way that after all that time underwater, they were all still alive and well right? Unless some sort of magic had been keeping them alive for this long. Zola could laugh at himself at the thought. He didn’t mean to rain on anyone’s parade, but he in fact thought believing in magic was foolish. Even if people insisted that it existed in the past, Zola would never want to hear a word of it.

But somehow staring at the man claiming to be Leo, Zola couldn’t help but feel something...off. He licked his dry lips, mind wondering such absurd thoughts. But were they really all that absurd?

He didn’t know what was going on, but none of this felt right. Even if no one would believe him, he didn’t think that Leo and his friends suddenly appearing out of nowhere would feel or be...right. What if he wasn’t even looking at the real Leo?

“Who are you?” Zola whispered to himself, turning away from the other who endorsed in a conversation with Charlotte.

And for the first time since Leo’s return, Zola didn’t feel a smidge of fear or cowardice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just had to add the ledge scene XD and the twine doll explanation. 
> 
> Hope you liked my idea on how Leo got that signature headband ;) 
> 
> Unfortunately, poor Takumi whose starting to have crushie feelings on Leo is oblivious to the whole Charlotte is crown princess thing and Leo was technically her husband in another life...Oh well
> 
> Well, i guess I'll see you guys in another three months...or if we're lucky in another year!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...How do I summarize this one?
> 
> Two words.
> 
> Lotus pond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Here's another one 0 3 ^
> 
> As always I hope you enjoy this chapter...that I finished in my math class. Hehe. Teacher thinks I finish my homework with lightning speed because I'm proactive. Nope, just in a writing mood and itching to finish a chapter of my fanfiction.
> 
> It's all good ;)

“Here is the main room for us employees,” Charlotte explained, raising her hand slightly to gesture towards the space. “I’m not sure if you quite remember all the memories that we all made here together.”

Leo couldn’t quite stop the small smile forming as time went by. The morning started out possibly better than the blond thought it would’ve. Charlotte met up with him, offering to give him the brief tour to jog up his memory. She even complimented the new ‘look’ and Leo would have to thank Takumi later for that.

She walked towards another section of the building, smiling excitedly as Leo followed.

“This is the studio building where we film most of our commercials, shows and have our indoor photo shoots,” the secretary said.

After taking a quick look at the studio, he noticed oddly shaped devices that he remembered were cameras propped up everywhere with lighting sets nearly blinding him. The crown prince reveled at how back in his time, there was magic that could do extraordinary things such as the will to create auras and attacks, but nowadays the technology human beings have developed had created something that could capture moments in time. Something that Leo didn’t even believe the most powerful mages have created or perfected yet.

“Let me show you one of my favourite places,” Charlotte clapped her hands together excitedly as if the idea had just come to mind. “Follow me.”

She subtly put her dainty hand into Leo’s, leading him away. She smiled, knowing how regularly a professional would’ve just continued walking, expecting the other to follow, but she slyly planned that small gesture out, noting her success as she could see the slightest blush on his face when she turned to glance at him.

“This is the fashion studio,” Charlotte explained. “Each year the company holds a fashion show and each year a different theme.”

“This is the place where everything is planned out, from clothing products to modeling measurements to the annual event.”

Leo raised an eyebrow scanning the walls that were decorated, more so devoured by photos of models, some from previous fashion shows. He recognized Camilla in a few, one particular one seemed to take him aback a bit as his sister didn’t have her signature lavender hair, instead having long blonde locks styled in a braided fashion. It had only just come to mind how the colour purple seemed to suit his older sister far more than the pale blond that seemed to grow on all of the family.

“I’ve always wanted to be part of the event in someway, but my job as the secretary on the other side of the building sort of gives me the idea that that dream won’t be coming true anytime soon,” Charlotte sighed, staring off in awe at the photo wall and desks covered in fabric swatches and sketches.

Leo found this as an opportunity to admire her beauty for a while, the curious glint in her eyes as she found the perfect picture that sparked her interest, the way her glossed lips would quirk a bit into a small smile as she took a deep breath.

However, Leo found himself pulled away from his thoughts as he felt something shift in his pocket. Alarmed, the blond carefully thought over the possibilities of the object being anything lethal before ruling out that it probably wasn’t. His hand carefully pulled out the twine dolls, sighing in relief before glaring at the figures. These would forever haunt him, wouldn’t they?

He didn’t remember the slightest putting the figures into his new clothing, but then again his mornings went by slowly. He must’ve put them in on instinct when his mind was still groggy and his coffee levels were on low or ‘on the urge of passing out and falling asleep again.’

Their twine limbs flopped at their sides, which seemed unusual as the prince was so used to seeing them tied...tied where again? Leo faintly remembered what the figures represented. Wealth and fortune, good health and...love. He unfortunately didn’t remember how you wished for any of those. He would have to heckle Takumi later, he supposed.

Stuffing them back into his pocket, Leo went back to listening to Charlotte comment about the company and the events they would occasionally hold for publicity. Eventually, the blond found himself staring at the secretary’s bare wrist, already picturing the bracelet he had yet to get her. It would fit perfectly for her and deep down he knew she’d love it.

He couldn’t stop the smile that lifted his cheeks as he pictured the moment, already noting that he had to visit the store after work.

“Okay,” Charlotte clapped her hands together. “Let’s head off to the advertising and manufacturing. It shouldn’t be far from here.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Leo arrived back at the store, earning a weird look from the cashier from the other day, the prince walked towards the jewellery case. He quickly scanned the display, locating the designated bracelet and sighing to himself. Luckily it was still there.

The blond found his eyes trailing to the left, catching a hair clip that was displayed rather a bit sadly compared to the extravagant and elegant models of the bracelets and necklaces. It sat in a rather awkward tan box, which didn’t fit with the white and clean look the jeweler was probably going for which only made Leo wonder why it was there.

Why was a hair clip in the glass display in the first place?

Despite the odd placement, the prince couldn’t help but notice the beauty of the accessory. The actual clip was of the colour gold, reflecting the store light rather nicely, showing off the lustre on the metallic surface. The decorative piece that really captured it’s beauty though sat at the very top of the clip, gems placed together to make a lovely lotus flower.

The thing that striked odd to the man was the gem the jeweler had used for the flower. Amber. Lotuses weren’t Amber if Leo remembered correctly. Though he hadn’t seen some in a while, he was certain that the flower was more of a pink colour. A more deserving gem would’ve been pink. However it was Amber which at first caused Leo to lose interest in the clip quickly. The inaccuracy bothered him to an extent. The curiosity nagged at him though and he found himself staring at the accessory once more, finding it unique in an almost silly way.

The cashier stared at him for as long as he stared at the display case before he caught himself.

He was already thought to be weird enough, he didn’t need to spread any more rumours about himself. It would be bad for him, his family and for the company.   
The last thing he needed to think about right now was how he could potentially ruin the real Leo’s life if he made one fault or mistake.

Leo purchased the bracelet, which was packaged nicely, so he would gladly say he was impressed. Though the awkwardness between him and the cashier never ceased, Leo felt somewhat better after leaving the store.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo’s thoughts seemed to take over his mind, almost to the overwhelming point to when he wished they would go away. The plan that depended on his relationship with Charlotte, the mysteries he had yet to solve and the facade he had to pull off all day seemed all too much. But of course, it should never be too much for a crown prince.

Sighing, Leo looked back down at the papers he had in front of him. Charlotte had assigned him some work to get him back into working, though it wasn’t as hard as she made it sound to decipher everything the documents had implied. Paperwork was something he unfortunately has gotten used to over the years. Touching pen to paper, getting used to the new feeling of the lighter weight stationery, the blond glanced to the side once again to catch Zola staring at him for only a millisecond.

The other man had been staring at him intently for a while now, in fact whenever he was in the vicinity. It striked as quite odd at first, but the younger blond decided it was just the older male getting used to his return. However, as the day passed, Leo noticed how Zola seemed to try to read him as if he was a book. As if he was trying to figure out who he was.

The obvious staring was getting quite infuriating as the feeling of someone watching him never seemed to go away. It was difficult to maintain focus on the papers in front of him when he just wanted to turn around and confront the other. The constant thoughts that seemed to shift his attention away from his work also was a factor to the small headache he was beginning to have.

Sighing, the crown prince decided it was best to finish later when he seemed to be more relaxed. Turning one last time, he was shocked to see that Zola was long gone from where he had been standing. Sighing in relief, Leo decided he need to get some fresh air before he returned home.

Upon arrival, Leo walked up the stairs and opened the front door to find Takumi cleaning.

“What are you doing?” Leo asked as he moved out of the mop’s way.

“Shhhh,” Takumi shushed him, putting a finger to his lips. “Silas, Odin and Niles are sleeping.”

“Sleeping?” Leo raised an eyebrow, making sure to speak quietly.

“They had a long day. You’re not the only businessman remember?” Takumi explained, continuing to mop the floor.

They had settled into their new home and it made Leo happy seeing how everyone themselves seemed content with it all. At least he was doing something right.

Leo glanced at the ceiling as if to visualize the room Odin, Niles and Silas were now sleeping in. Through the course of the day, he had received news of their incompetence in the workplace. However, after persuading his coworkers to give his friends another chance, the three had redeemed themselves, proving their worth.

Odin had helped out with the designing of the company’s newest products and he fortunately seemed to enjoy every bit of it, suggesting the most extravagant and surprisingly fitting ideas. Niles seemed to help photography. He helped decide what the models should do in the shoot and helped take pictures of products, choosing the perfect lighting and placement. The formal criminal knew how to make an object look appealing and valuable. Silas was great help when it came to collaborating with smaller companies. Memorizing each one was like remembering battle formations as he would put it. Since he almost seemed the most sane and normal out of the three, he was much better at talking to the other companies.

Leo smiled slightly, proud of them. They were trying their very best to fit into this new time all for this one assassination. He was grateful for that and for them.

The blond hadn’t even noticed that Takumi had put the mop away and was now cleaning the kitchen table.

“Why are you cleaning?” Leo asked, keeping his voice low

“Well, somebody has to do it,” Takumi sighed, wiping down the wooden surface. “Do it right, I mean.”

“You don’t really have to...are you voluntarily doing this?” the blond blinked.

“Do I really want to clean? No,” the shorter replied. “But it keeps my mind off things, so I don’t quite mind it as much.”

“That would be nice,” Leo breathed as Takumi raised a brow. “I meant it would be nice to get my mind off things.”

“Well, how do you keep yourself sane?” Takumi washed the cloth in the sink before drying his hands. “You’re a crown prince aren’t you? You must've had a lot to worry about.”

Leo thought back to the castle he had grown up in. He would indulge himself in the books of his library, get lost in what he used to believe were never ending shelves. However, it was a private library for his castle, a place where no one but him ever seemed to use. He highly doubted he could find a decent library in the modern times that had the same book smell and cozy feeling the library he holed himself in had.

His mind went to another place he seemed to go to quite often when he was overwhelmed. He remembered sitting on the stone bridge he wed upon. He would watch the water beneath him flow, rippling as leaves from nearby trees fell onto the surface. It seemed calming for him, as if time had stopped and all his worries seemed to fade. Even from where he was seated he could smell the scent of blooming flowers and the slight breeze that gently blew his bangs out of his face slowly etched away the burdens he always carried.

“I go to a lotus pond,” he smiled a bit to himself.

Takumi pondered for a moment before his Amber eyes lit up and a wave of nostalgia seemed to wash over the other.

“I know where to go!” Takumi hurried out of the kitchen, grabbing a jacket. “Change into something more casual. You look too serious.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi had mentioned other lotus ponds before and had gladly dragged Leo to one. When they arrived, Leo’s eyes met a wooden bridge, similar to the stone one back in the castle. The railings were painted a nice shade of red while the wood seemed to be worn, but only added to the aesthetic.

The two sat down on the bridge letting their legs dangle beneath the lower railing. Leo leaned onto the wood a bit, gazing at the flowers resting on the calm waters.

“They’re beautiful,” Leo smiled, memories flooding over him.

Takumi couldn’t help but admire the flower himself, each pink petal seemed to only enhance its beauty. Something about the way they seemed to float on the water’s surface seemed so elegant, it would have had Takumi mesmerized if not for the blank gaze Leo was now giving the dark waters. been

Back at the castle, Takumi noticed the lost look in the other’s brown eyes as well. It was job to cheer him up that time, but he never did know what had made the other so said staring at the empty pond.

“Did something happen to you in a lotus pond?” Takumi unintentionally said aloud.

Leo seemed a bit taken aback at the sudden question, but only swallowed a lump in his throat before speaking.

“I lived in a castle with a lotus pond,” Leo replied softly, carefully choosing his words. “I had many good memories there. It just shows how one tragic event can really taint your thoughts, no matter how many cherished moments there were in the past. One loss, one tear shed and it’s all forgotten.”

Takumi shifted his focus towards the water again, watching it seemingly absorb the light that caused it to look like a sea of diamonds. But even so, the water still seemed cold. If he could touch even a drop it would only prove his fact. One terrible thing could change it all, huh?

“One tragic event and all the good memories prior are long forgotten,” Takumi repeated, before breathing a laugh. “No, you idiot. One tragic event and all the good memories prior are _ignored_. Blocked away.”

Leo glared slightly;the shorter had no idea what had happened. To say something like that so casually was absurd. He didn’t lose someone he loved and he wasn’t there to witness the tragedy. It gave him no right to even say something like that as if it was easy to move on.

“Good memories in a place like this will never change the fact that something that tore my world apart had happened here,” Leo said sharply through gritted teeth. The bite in his tone even to him sounded quite harsh, maybe even more so than he had intended.

“I’ll never forget the pain I experienced here,” he muttered, eyes refusing to meet the pond, now finding the dirt on his lap incredibly fascinating, as if the water could stare back at him if he dared spare a glance.

“And I’m not telling you to forget,” Takumi sighed. “In fact I think it’s better to remember. Forgetting something that hurt you so badly isn’t any good.”

“You think I should just continue remembering, reliving what had happened?” Leo snapped, frustrated.

“I never said that either,” Takumi offered a small smile, remaining surprisingly calm. “You shouldn’t forget that tragedy, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be the only memory you have of this place.”

“I told you, the past-”

“Make new memories,” Takumi said simply. “Make new, good memories. Starting now.”

Leo looked into amber, taking a deep breath. Start over? Make more memories? To what? Pile over the bad ones? He opened his mouth to retort, but stopped himself. He stared into the Amber a bit longer before prying his gaze away, finally offering the flowers another glance.

They were still as beautiful and stunning as the day he first laid eyes upon the flora. The lotus seemed to glow a top of the water, occasionally twirling slowly from the slight breeze.

He somehow felt better. He somehow felt calmer. And he wasn’t exactly sure if he could give the pond the credit for it, turning to the other who happily watched the pond beneath them as well.

“If it helps, I’ll tell you one of my only memories involving a lotus,” Takumi offered.

“When I was younger, I was told my mother wanted my name to mean Lotus,” Takumi explained, sighing a bit.

“Like Ren,” Leo said automatically.

“...y-yeah. Something like that,” Takumi blinked, shocked and confused. He didn’t think he had mentioned the story before and he never taught Leo the name. “How do you know that?”

Leo smiled to himself and the shorter was glad that the other seemed to be happy.

“A friend once told me,” the prince explained, studying the flower now with a grin on his face, his eyes no longer filled with hurt or sadness. He looked at the pink lotus happily as if...as if he was remembering a good memory.

This caused Takumi to smile to himself, silently cheering. He succeeded. At least, he would like to think this was a success. He took a deep breath, swinging his legs back and forth.

“You know, even if you do have a bad memory weighing your mind down,” He began. “At least you have them.”

“What do you mean?” Leo leaned against the wood railing once again, furrowing his brow.

“I don’t have any of my childhood memories, only small bits like eating rice for dinner or tying my shoe lace. Or even that strange story I told you about my name,” Takumi explained. “I don’t remember my mother or my father. I didn’t even remember the family who adopted me.”

“Were you in an accident?” Leo asked.

“I apparently was in a road accident,” Takumi closed his eyes, a small smile still on his face. “But it’s not that bad. The curiosity is what bothers me the most. But at least this gives me more room to make good memories.”

“Or bad ones,” Leo snorted.

“I will shove you into this pond,” Takumi deadpanned.

“Bad memory number one,” the blond clicked his tongue.

“Actually, I’d count that as a good one,” the younger grinned.

Leo rolled his eyes. Maybe he’d count this as a good memory as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi watched people walk their dogs, kids playing small sports games and the calm flock of geese who settled under a tree. It wouldn’t be long before they migrated, so they all seemed to nestle together and rest for a bit in the shallow shade.

The park bench he and his mother were sitting on wasn’t necessarily cold, yet it indicated that the warmer weather was saying its farewell as the fall would soon approach.

Humming to herself, the woman wearing a warm knit sweater sitting with her son smiled to herself. Charlotte had ignored her calls once again, probably too busy and stressed from work. Her daughter had landed an amazing job;much more celebratory than her workplace.

“Nice weather we’re having,” she commented. The most overused ice breaker to exist. “Probably will be the last of it for this year.”

“Guess we should enjoy it while it lasts,” Takumi shrugged half heartedly as he continued to watch the vigorous game of soccer before him. His mother frowned, noticing something was a bit off before opening up her purse.

“I have a surprise for you,” she nudged his side with her elbow before pulling out a black and white photograph of a beautiful, young woman.

She had long hair, possibly a light shade though he couldn’t tell which colour the grey would represent. She had the smallest amount of makeup on, only showcasing her natural beauty. A small smile was formed on her lips and her eyes seemed to reflect the light shining on her generously. However, even through the photograph you could tell from the look in her eye she was in pain.

Takumi stared at the picture, confused as to whomever it could be.

“Found this in an old box from my old scrapbooking days,” his mother recounted. “Completely forgot about it until a few days ago. I was meaning to give you this for a while.”

She handed him the photo gently as if not to wrinkle or bend it, handling it as an ancient relic even. Takumi looked over the picture once again, wondering if he only saw the woman at a wrong angle. However, he could still see the slight pain on her face, concealed by her smile. Her eyes seemed to be a light shade as well, only enhancing her young features.

“It’s your mother.” He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. “Your biological one.”

Takumi immediately turned to face his adoptive mother before staring back at the photograph she handed to him only moments before.

This was his...mother?

“She was beautiful, wasn’t she?” His mom laughed softly. “Always wondered what made her want to be friends with me. I only knew her for a short while, but it still felt like I knew everything about her.”

“And yet I know _nothing_ about her,” she spoke softly as she stared at the pavement.

“Showed this to Charlotte when she was younger. She couldn’t stop wondering who the gorgeous mysterious woman was.”

In fact, her daughter seemed quite jealous, but the woman decided not to mention that bit to her son.

“What...what was she like?” Takumi finally breathed.

“She was a bright woman. Beautiful and smart,” the blonde remarked. “She was headstrong, tough as nails yet as meek as a wee lamb. I remember her getting envious and jealous quite easily, though I didn’t see what she had to worry about since she almost always gave off this aura that told everyone she ran the world.”

Takumi smiled a bit to himself. She seemed...she seemed like a wonderful woman.

“When I first met her, we immediately clicked,” his mother continued. “I always found it odd how she never dove into her life story or shared really anything about herself;quite secretive as well I suppose.”

“Only got one name out of her,” she motioned for him to turn the photo around.

Takumi did so, revealing in neat handwriting ‘Ikona.’ That was his mother’s name. He actually had a name to associate her with.

“That was all she’d tell me about her personal life.”

“However…” the woman’s smile faded. “I did begin to piece somethings together myself.”

“I found her crying one day, all by herself. She looked so small and frail. It made me scared to look at her as I was so used to the strong and independent woman. She only told me the situation she was in, nothing too specific however.”

“Her lover...her husband was having an affair with a mistress. Another beautiful woman that Ikona claimed was far superior and far more beautiful than she ever would be, which was hard to believe on my end. I don’t know the mistress’ name, but I remember her appearance almost far too well.”

“Long, dark black hair and lovely golden eyes,” Takumi’s mother gestured with her hands, mimicking the length of her hair. “I don’t know anything about her personality, but from what I saw, her smile seemed all too perfect, like seeing an angel on earth.”

“So you don’t know who my father is?” Takumi asked quietly.

“I’m afraid not,” the blonde shook her head solemnly. “I wish I did though. Seeing how much pain he caused my friend, I would gladly sock him in the face.”

Takumi could guarantee that was a fact. His adoptive mother was strong herself, probably able to wrestle a wild boar if necessary.

He looked back down at the photograph, looking at Ikona’s eyes. Was that why she looked so pained? Was it caused from the heartache she felt?

“Months after that fateful day, she just came by. It was obvious she had been crying, but she’d deny it for eternity if I asked. What surprised me was that she had you in tow,” she ruffled his hair as he softly protested. “That woman. She was so sneaky, never told me she had a kid, so you could imagine how baffled I was.”

“Before I could even bring some tea out for her to drink, she was telling me to take good care of you, giving me papers with information and so on. She hugged you, kissing you on your small cheek before embracing me.”

“She told me the pain would eventually get to her.” Takumi’s eyes darted back at the photo once again. “I was scared half to death as she thanked me and left. I thought she was going to kill herself over the affair. It wasn’t until two weeks later I found out what had really happened.”

“Ikona was sick. The pain she felt must've been terrible;unbearable. With the added effects of the cheating, it probably only made her health worse. The couple divorced and they went separate ways, Ikona taking you with her. That’s when things started getting bad for her and she knew she wouldn’t be able to be there for you any longer. Refusing to give you to her former lover, she came to me.”

“She died peacefully in the hospital and told the nurses how much she loved her family and how she wished for the best for them,” his mother teared up a bit, sniffling as quietly as she could.

“When you went missing, I couldn’t help but think I had failed your mother,” the woman’s blue eyes filled with tears as she remembered. “She left you in my care and...and I lost you. I thought you were gone forever and that your mother even in the afterlife could never forgive me for such a thing,” she grabbed a tissue from her purse, dabbing her eyes.

It was only now that Takumi realized how much pain his adoptive mother must’ve been in as well. The burden she had to hold and the responsibilities she might not have been ready to handle caused her so much pain. Takumi only wondered how many tears she had wasted on him.

“It’s alright now, mother,” he pulled her into an embrace as she frantically nodded her head, tissue soaked with her tears. “I’m here now and that’s all that counts. You didn’t lose me if I came back.”

“And I’m pretty sure Ikona would forgive you for anything, no matter how stubborn she was,” he offered a smile, rubbing her back.

“She was a stubborn one,” his mother laughed through sniffles.

It was good to see her smiling again, laughing even.

Takumi pocketed the photo, finally having a face to associate his biological mother with. He didn’t know whether he physically felt any different after the curiosity that weld inside of him had somewhat been filled. He had a face and a personality. And not to mention a name. Maybe it was just the first name, but it was a name people called her nonetheless.

The silver haired male looked up to the sky which was a nice pale blue. When winter came, he would have to get used to seeing the skies covered with grey clouds again.

Leo, Silas, Niles and Odin were here to uncover the truth for their past. Maybe it was about time he did too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wise words from Takumi, listen to them Leo. 
> 
> A glimpse of Takumi's backstory, or more so his mother's.   
> I have faith in all of you to somewhat string a bit of it together. Do not fret though! More will be revealed in time.
> 
> Until next time, where I lazily edit a finished chapter and post it first chance I get...
> 
> Happy Halloween! (Even though it's technically tomorrow)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo must learn more about love and what I truly means to be in love. 
> 
> His mask seems to be chipping, his identity may be at stake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay...so I updated this in October...last year...and now it'/ 2017...the day before Valentine's Day (Happy New Years btw and while I'm at it Happy Valentine's Day)
> 
> Let's get this straight. I'm disgusting. I just SUCK. AND I am so so so sorry for being a complete butt face. 
> 
> School started and it was already hard enough finding the time to write in the first place...and then I started getting stressed and depressed and ended up lacking motivation to write. I would even avoid opening where I write this story cause I just literally couldn't write it. 
> 
> I was also really scared of updating and coming back to people hating me and calling me a terrible writer because of this. And I...i just didn't have the energy to go through that.
> 
> But alas, I'm a butt face and a loser with self esteem issues. 
> 
> I honestly felt like giving up on my fanfics, logging off forever and never coming back...I was prepared to do so. But I listened to the Rooftop Prince soundtrack and suddenly this wave of the tiniest sliver of motivation pushed me to finish this chapter. Also the fact that I'm playing the new app game Fire Emblem Heroes got me back into at least writing a bit for this ship. 
> 
> Now finally the next chapter!!! (Wrote this so fast it's probably trash)

Hesitantly, Leo tied and twisted twine limbs together in attempt to make it look somewhat right. However, it looked more like a tangled ball of rope or just in a general a mess.

Even if he did manage to make it look okay, he truly didn’t know what he’d be wishing for. Sighing, he wondered why he even bothered with all this. Sure he came from a time of magic, but luck charms just seemed foolish in his opinion. A waste of time. So why were these annoying twine dolls an exception?

Leo didn’t even bother untying... whatever you’d call the poor unfortunate figures now. He simply stared at the monstrosity, almost laughing quietly to himself, mockingly.

Remembering he was no longer in his castle, the prince slouched a bit, sinking on the plush couch he rested on, relaxing his posture. He would probably never find a moment like this ever again once he returned back to his era, so he decided to appreciate said moments. Back in the stone castle, he felt almost as if there were eyes everywhere watching his every move, checking if his back was perfectly straight, to see when he would mess up and fall.

Not even in the library did he feel entirely free of the whispering walls of the castle he called home.

Takumi suddenly plopped onto the couch beside him, opening his mouth to say something before staring at the twine dolls.

“Why is she holding him in a headlock?”

“How do you tie these things again?” Leo sighed, untangling the poor arms and legs.

“Well, what are you wishing for?” Takumi asked, curiously.

Blushing slightly, Leo attempted to clear his throat. “...love.”

Takumi tried not to completely stiffen at that, but already knew the other had noticed how shocked he was. He should’ve known that Leo wouldn’t have wished for wealth or good health since he didn’t need to. But the shorter could’ve never guessed that the prince was searching or hoping for love.

He tried to push down the weird feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach. Why was he getting so uncomfortable...so _sad_ over this? He wasn’t the one to decide whom Leo fell in love with and when. In order to force down his sudden deflation in energy, Takumi reached for the dolls and cleared his throat.

“You tie their legs together,” Takumi explained, doing so and handing the charm back to the blond, forcing a smile that was luckily left unnoticed.

Leo watched the twine spin and twirl the figures for a few seconds before putting away the lucky charm, a faint smile on his lips.

He really did need to marry Charlotte soon, but proposing so quickly wasn’t a good idea. It was going to take some time to actually officially be wife and husband again which pained him. He recognized his own impatience and he even knew his three friends that he had dragged into his mess yearned to just see their era again.

They couldn’t return home until they had solved the mystery. If anything happened to interfere with the marriage, he wasn’t sure what would occur.

Sighing, the blond glanced to his left where the younger had been, opening his mouth to say something, surprised to see he was no longer there. He somehow felt a bit different, weird even without the other by his side like he had initially thought he was. He felt something missing and he almost felt empty in a sense.

Leo quickly shrugged it off. Unfortunately to say, he had gotten used to the insufferable idiot;he grinned to himself.

Taking a slow deep breath, he stood up, smoothing his clothing before heading out himself. He had so much on his schedule and yet he didn’t know how much time he had to complete it all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi really didn’t want to meet what he could only describe as a very angry blonde woman, but she had demanded him to, somehow even making text convey her frustration.

When he finally saw her in person, she looked angrier than he had expected. Which was bad, but Takumi wasn’t exactly scared, he just wanted to understand his adoptive sister’s problem.

Her painted nails were tapping the table repeatedly as if to ease her boiling anger. Her pale blue eyes were fixated on the ground and if she had the power to kill with one look, she was using it now. Her other hand seemed to grasp whatever beverage she had bought that day and Takumi was surprised the poor cup didn’t explode in her grasp. Her lips were pressed together, almost as if she was clenching her teeth a bit too hard.

The pure frustration radiating off of her seemed to drive other customers a bit further away. It only got worse when she saw him.

“You!” She spat, somehow keeping her voice at a normal volume. “Why are you here?”

“Because you asked me to meet you here?” Takumi muttered though the secretary caught on and the fire in her eyes only grew. How she remained calm with a straight composure was beyond him. He was 90% sure that he was going to be strangled by her.

“Why do you keep appearing in front of me?” Charlotte gritted her teeth. “I keep telling you to get out of my way.”

“And I really am not on your way,” Takumi tried to hold his ground. The blonde had been acting so strange as of late, pushing her family as far away from her as possible. He needed answers. “Unless you want to tell me otherwise.”

“I thought you were going to Valla. I paid for everything, that was the deal,” Charlotte’s voice nearly raised in pitch, though she appeared to calm down slightly. The glare he was receiving was still present, though her voice seemed to have more of a subtle bite.

“I was, but then Leo-”

“Tch, don’t try and pretend Leo was part of any of this,” Charlotte scoffed, leaning slightly back in her chair. “You can’t keep leaning on him remember? It was you who had agreed to this and it was you who broke that deal.”

“So why didn’t you go?” the blonde asked.

“I didn’t go because I wanted to stay,” Takumi answered simply, though the other wasn’t at all impressed by the response.

“The deal was-”

“Why do you want me to go? Why do you keep pushing everyone away from you?” Takumi asked, biting his lip as Charlotte’s demeanor changed.

She laughed bitterly, before responding icily. “You want to know why I want you as far away from me as possible?”

“Well then fine,” the blonde continued. “I don’t only hate you, but I also had told the directors of Corrin that I had a mother who worked as a university professor in Valla. What they believe is my prestigious family is probably the only reason why they even hired me, so I can’t risk this secret getting out. They have no idea who you are and who mother is and how you are related to me. And I’d like to keep it that way.”

Takumi fought back the glare he wanted to give her. Was she that selfish? Did she only care about herself? Though he already knew the answer.

Charlotte got up smoothing her dress. “I can’t have you ruining my life like that, so I’m warning you again to stay out of my way.”

She began to walk away, ending the conversation automatically before turning around to say a few last words.

“I did my end of the bargain, I still expect you to do yours.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo sighed, putting the pen down finally, relieved to be finished with the day's paperwork. Stretching his arms a bit, the prince suddenly felt a presence behind him. He turned his head slightly to catch sight of Zola, the older blond wearing a visibly forced smile.

“Ah, Leo,” said man let out an airy chuckle. “I haven’t seen you in such a long time. Why don’t you join me for a cup of coffee.”

The younger man couldn’t help but furrow his brows slightly. Something seemed off, out of place when he was near the other. He couldn’t quite brush off the feeling of the other staring at him at times too insignificant to count as a trail of thought or a memory a tarnished mind was trying to remember.

“For old times sake,” Zola smile almost morphed into a knowing smirk. Maybe it was just the lighting tricking him or his eyes needed to adjust from the endless paperwork.

“Oh...of course,” Leo breathed, allowing the other to lead him away.

The air felt too thick to be comforting even as the two men exited the stuffy building and were met with the cool autumn breeze. There was more to this little coffee trip than the older businessman was letting on. Leo should’ve listened to the small voice in his head telling him it was a bad idea to continue walking. He should’ve considered the pit in his stomach forming every time he glanced at the back of the other’s head.

Instead he calmly followed the other to a small coffee shop, the one he had taken Charlotte to not too long ago. Thankfully, Zola didn’t drag the prince into an alleyway where he would murder him. The man only ordered two cups of coffee as they sat across from one another, at a table small enough that they could both choke one another in arm’s reach. This thought obviously didn’t make Leo feel any better.

“So tell me,” Zola cleared his throat, “how have you been doing?”

“I’ve been doing fine,” Leo answered simply, watching cautiously as the other only nodded.

“That’s great,” the blond didn’t sound as enthusiastic as his words. “It’s good for you to get used to everything again after you’ve been gone for so long.”

Leo found the coffee cup occupying his hands a good distraction. The seemingly forced small talk formed between the two made the blond uneasy.

“Ah, this reminds me,” Zola clapped his hands together. “I’ve done some research and found a specialist, a legend in his field of work, who can help people like you who have amnesia.”

Leo’s mouth seemed abnormally dry all of sudden, tempting him to down the black liquid in front of him. He, however, remained as still as he physically could, unsure whether or not he was even breathing.

“That isn’t necessary, Zola,” the younger man finally replied. “I’ve talked with Xander and my father and we’ve agreed that I can do this myself. If I need a professional, I will speak to them myself.”

Zola’s smile only remained on his face, a chuckle even arose from the man.

“Your ol’ man loved the idea,” the grinning blond took a sip of his coffee. “Thinks you need a little push until you recover your memories.”

Leo gulped, hesitantly taking his own sip of coffee.

If a professional became involved in this situation, lying would clearly become harder. It would become clear to everyone that he’d never get these memories back, especially if he had never had them in the first place.

He made the mistake to agree to this small coffee talk. He made the mistake of looking into the pressing ice blue eyes, waiting for any sign of a reply. A reaction.

Leo only remained unfazed, or at least he made himself believe he was as good at concealing his emotions as he wished to be. Now of all times he needed to make sure he didn’t falter. The prince saw the hint of fear in the other’s eyes, the look he recognized the first time the two had really met.

A realization suddenly dawned on him.

“Say, Zola,” Leo silently reminded himself not to spill the contents in his cup all over the table with how tightly he seemed to hold the paper thing. “Have we really ever had meetings like this?”

Zola simply shrugged. “I’m not quite sure, Leo.”

He leaned on the table, smirking as if he was challenging the other. “Did we?”

Leo’s eyes widened slightly at his words. Zola was now marked as a threat and an enemy in his mind. This man almost seemed to know too much already. How he was so sure of these suspicions that had formed out of nowhere confused the prince. But that was the last worry currently in his mind.

Zola didn’t believe he was Leo. And that was going to undoubtedly cause trouble.

“I must leave, I’m afraid,” Leo not-so-subtly muttered. “Unfortunately, paperwork can’t finish itself.”

His attempts at making an excuse was weak, but he hoped the other wouldn’t notice.

“Ah, too bad,” Zola breathed. “Well, I hope you’ll join me for another coffee sometime later.”

Leo got up from his seat, smoothing his clothing, avoiding any means of eye contact with the slouching man.

“But alas I can’t keep you away from all that work you must do,” Zola continued, although the younger was already making his way out. “But of course you finished said work earlier, didn’t you?”

Leo had never walked faster than he had when he left the café. He could hear the other’s chuckle. He could hear how satisfied- he could feel how satisfied the other man was with how he had successfully gotten underneath his skin.

The blond sighed, running a hand through his hair, tapping his foot impatiently as he wondered what this could mean. He couldn’t have Zola ruining his plans in the future. He wasn’t even close to discovering who had killed Calla. He couldn’t get caught now.

Which brought him back to the reason why he was in this era anyway. He needed to find out who would kill Charlotte in this time period and connect them with their past self. But first he needed to find out if she had any enemies. Anyone who would want to kill her.

Sighing, the prince closed his eyes.

Where does he even begin?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Charlotte has asked Leo on a date, he immediately said yes. She seemed elated and that made Leo content as well. It seemed to be a step up in their relationship, why shouldn’t he be happy?

The only problem was, Leo had absolutely no clue what a date was and how to really...act in one.

“What’s a date?”

Naturally he went to bother Takumi about it.

“A date?” Takumi raised an eyebrow. More weird questions.

“It’s basically when you go somewhere with someone you like, or are in a romantic relationship with- just the two of you,” the shorter explained. “Like a movie or going to a restaurant. Just something...special for the both of you to enjoy.”

Leo rested his chin on his hand, pondering over the definition stated to him.

“I see,” the prince sighed. He had never gone on a necessary or official date before. He had gone on morning walks with his wife, just the two of them in a special place for them both. Leo would assume this counted as a date. If not, he really was clueless in this matter.

As a prince he never had time to go on ‘dates.’ In fact, when it came to romantic relationships, a date wouldn’t be necessary. If a royal had taken liking to you, you could actually be wed within the span of a few days, no ‘dates’ needed or required.

He needed this date to be successful in order to win Charlotte’s heart and hopefully her hand in marriage. But truth be told, he was inexperienced and desperately needed help.

“Take me on a date,” he demanded plainly.

Takumi felt his cheeks warm, turning away briefly to hide that fact. “What?”

“I’m asking you to take me on a date,” Leo repeated, sighing. “I need to learn how dating works.”

This guy couldn’t be serious. Could he?

Takumi bit his lip, nearly facepalming. “Really?”

“I need to understand this strange term you modern folk use,” Leo explained. “What if someone asks me on a date? What would I do then if I didn’t know how one worked?”

“This is actually killing me,” Takumi sighed. He couldn’t believe ~~he blushed for this~~ he was doing this.

“Alright, let’s just pretend we asked one another on a date,” Takumi exclaimed. “Now, what time and day are we doing this...for the sake of pretending.”

“Let’s just say, Wednesday at lunch,” Leo offered a small smile.

“Okay, so what kind of place do you want to go to?”

“I’m new to this, remember? I don’t really know any places to go for these dates,” Leo explained, tapping his finger on his knee.

“Well, unfortunately for you, my love life has so far sucked,” Takumi wasn’t sure whether or not he should really be happy admitting that. In fact, he had just outright insulted himself.

“But I guess I have a better knowledge of these things, so I’ll come up with something,” he added, just in case the other was worried or being fussy over the matter. However, the topic seemed to drift off from there.

Takumi thought about how Leo had wished for love and now...he was asking about dating. He had probably found someone he fancies, fallen in love. The younger couldn’t help but feel a bit crestfallen at the thought. It wasn’t his choice- it wasn’t anyone’s choice other than Leo’s.

But he could never stop getting his hopes up even if it was by a small sliver. That was all Takumi ever truly learned to do anyway. _Hope_.

“Do you think two souls...two people can fall in love over and over again?” Leo suddenly wondered aloud. “Do you think...fate is generous enough to allow that?”

“You mean through lifetimes?”

The prince nodded his head, gaze fixated on his own hands, thumb brushing his other palm.

“I think that it could happen and then again it might not,” Takumi bit his lip. “Love...love is something that we think not even the gods can touch...can change. But I’m not so sure about that. Sometimes life doesn’t grant happy endings.”

“What happened to the positive-happy-memories guy I talked to last time?” Leo raised an eyebrow, an amused smile on his face though Takumi could see in his soft brown eyes how his answer had affected him.

“That’s just what I think,” Takumi leaned back a bit, looking off to the side. “Sometimes two people cannot really be together. That’s the crazy thing about love.”

“It can bring us joy and happiness. Fix us,” the shorter explained. “Or it can hurt us, bring us pain and sorrow. Break us.”

Takumi didn’t know why love had to be so beautiful yet destructive. Though he guessed that everything had a good and bad side. It just depended on which side won.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” Leo breathed, a small smile forming on his lips. “But I think I’m okay with that for now.”

Leo seemed like a very conserved and private person, tending to keep things to himself or occasionally share some thoughts with people he trusted. His circle was small and Takumi wondered if he was even in it.

Were these questions...did these questions mean anything to him? Did his answers mean anything to him? Did _he_ mean anything to him?

Takumi could so easily read Leo, yet he could never decipher his code properly.

Leo seemed to be contemplating the answer he was given, so Takumi thought it was fine losing himself in his thoughts. What had happened between him and Charlotte was still bothering him slightly anyway. The woman had no filter when it came to him. He observed and noted how she seemed to have at least twenty minimum when it came to sweet talking to others.

She seemed to carry an endless hatred towards him which made him hope one day she would tell him what fueled it. His adoptive mother thought that giving each other the required space would eventually douse the fire. Ignoring it for too long would only allow everyone to get burned.

Charlotte, Silas, Niles, Odin and Leo. Everyone had their own story- their own mystery to figure out...or he was assuming. Their own problems.

Takumi sighed. Even Charlotte had her own problems.

It made him wish he remembered what she was like when he was younger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Tip 1 : Engage in conversation,” Takumi clapped his hands together. “You both need to get to know each other, have fun and be happy! Talking is a good way to break the ice too.”

Leo shifted in his seat, nodding his head.

The two had just walked into some random restaurant that Leo had pointed to after spinning in ten circles and closing his eyes. After doing such a strange ritual, Takumi warned him not to do that for a date and to at least have the locations and events planned out beforehand.

That worked fine for the prince. Planning beforehand was his supposed specialty according to his oh-so-supportive guard.

“So talk about something,” Takumi smiled. “A story, a fact about yourself...anything to start up a decent conversation.”

“Um…”Leo glanced to the side, finding the chipped paint on the wall so intriguing that he nearly- _nearly_ forgot how to speak. “The weather’s nice today.”

Takumi groaned and shook his head rapidly, bangs falling messily back on his forehead. “That’s too overused. It signifies how awkward the situation is. Besides, what if the weather isn’t nice?”

“Um...the weather isn’t nice today?”

“You can’t honestly be this bad, right?” Takumi sighed, head resting on his propped up elbow. He added in a softer voice, “You’re a prince. Shouldn’t you be better at conversation?”

“What? You want me to talk about royal affairs and taxes on my date?” Leo hissed, anxiously sipping the complimentary tea given to him.

“Was that the only thing you were taught to do?” Takumi asked. “Where are your social skills?”

Leo frowned, wanting to squirm in his seat and for once act like a complete child, but opted to sigh instead, hoping the same amount of frustration would be appeased.

“I’m...I’m just nervous about this,” the prince stared at the white table cloth, running a hand through his blond hair.

Takumi’s expression softened, even if it was nothing but reassuring to begin with. “Tip 2 : It’s okay to be nervous, but don’t let it take over you. Be yourself. Your very normal self that doesn’t stare at the terribly painted walls of the crappy restaurant he chose while closing his eyes.”

Leo rolled his eyes, though he had a small grin on his face. Hopefully his date would go well with Charlotte. He needed it to be. But he tried to remind himself not to worry, not to get so worked up over it.

Taking a deep breath, Leo smiled- a full smile.

“Wow! Look at the time?” Takumi beamed as he looked at his bare wrist, pretending they didn’t sit five minutes ago. “Let’s pretend this meal is over, cause I want to stop spending money that you may use against me in the future. Now you tell me what you were planning to do next with your date.”

Leo tapped his finger on the table, trying to think of something really quickly. Charlotte liked clothes and expensive things at the very least. Luckily he had that bracelet to give her. Smiling a bit to himself, he almost forgot that he couldn’t think of a place to head to afterwards. He couldn’t think of any place suited for the woman since he didn't really know her tastes and preferences.

“I’m not too sure. Any suggestions?” the blond asked. “What would you like to do?”

Takumi wanted to retort that he was not the person Leo would go out with someday and that they might not like the location he chooses, but he decided that they probably both needed a mental break anyway.

“Hm. Okay,” Takumi bit his lip and Leo found himself ~~admiring~~ staring at the other’s face far longer than he assumed was appropriate. “I always liked walking through the park nearby, though you won’t exactly see all that much at this time of year.”

Leo remembered walking through the palace gardens, spring flowers miraculously blooming throughout each year. His wife said she enjoyed the gardens, but he rarely ever found her there without asking her to accompany him.

He’d always go to clear his mind. The stress always eventually got to him. The pond and the gardens were a good place to go to when he didn’t feel like releasing his pent up anger and frustration on wooden dummies in the training yard.

Come to think of it, the person he would always run into in said gardens was his brother-in-law, Ren. He was always silently observing the nature around him, almost as if he was taking in every beautiful detail. The prince also found him occasionally watering and tending to the plants.

Whenever, he amusedly questioned the other, the shorter would become flustered and mutter something about how sad they all appeared. Leo would always note to one day kick out the lazy gardeners who seemed to visit the castle’s wine cellar too often, but always forgot as he found it oddly satisfying and calming watching Ren water the camellias.

The park gave him the same air as the garden had. Although there were no flowers blooming as of late, the atmosphere although littered with laughing children and smiling couples, energetic dogs and slightly chilly air, felt so nostalgic. It sent Leo back to the time when he watched Ren water camellias and comment on how the butterflies seem to enjoy said flower’s aura.

“I...I missed this,” Leo muttered more to himself than anyone.

Takumi looked at the other, but didn’t mention anything. He knew what it was like to hurt. He knew how much better one could feel after walking through this park.   
Quickly, he decided to pretend he didn’t notice or hear the other’s meek comment. The other didn’t seem all too ready to continue talking on the matter anyway.

“Come on! Tip 3 : You guys should act somewhat intimate whether it is kissing or holding hands. Depends on how you are with them now...holding hands may seem like a safer idea,” the silver haired male explained, snapping Leo back to the realization of what this all was. An introduction to the dating world.

“Holding hands,” Leo repeated, the action dawning over him. He thought about holding Charlotte’s hand...holding Calla’s.

The prince wiggled his stiff, nearly frozen fingers. The cool air working its cursed magic on his numb hand, causing him to adorably pout.

He absentmindedly grabbed the shorter’s hand, causing the other to nearly shriek in surprise.

“Not with me, you idiot!” Takumi nearly screamed, though he was already slightly- really embarrassed over his voice’s earlier falsetto.

“Mm. Hands are cold,” was all Leo said to reply...to justify his abrupt action.

Takumi focused moreso on the cold fingers wrapping around his hand. Hell, they felt like five pieces of ice gripping onto his flesh. But for some reason, he didn’t move his hand away. For some reason, he didn’t tug free from the gentle hold.

“I told you, I’m n-not your personal hand warmer,” Takumi hissed, though his voice came out more exhausted than angry.

“And that the cold was for the weak,” Leo smiled, noticing that the other was surprised at his memory. In a quieter voice almost carried away from the wind, the prince only added, smile still present, “But I am weak.”

Takumi turned to look at the other. He saw the look of loss in the taller's eyes. He saw the look of sadness again. The younger almost shook his head and flicked the prince’s forehead. What did he say about making happy and good memories?

Instead of scolding the other though, the shorter just breathed out a laugh, adding an equally quiet,“So am I.”

It was Leo’s turn to look at the other, his concern completely washed away when Takumi squeezed his hand reassuringly.

“But let’s be fools together,” he grinned, earning a smirk from Leo.

They walked around the park, minds wandering off and talking about anything that became coherent in their jumble of thoughts. Leo allowed his posture to falter to shiver from the cold. He mentally noted to wear warmer clothing, something he was notorious for forgetting according to his peers. The blond prince figured he could shut out the cold by thinking once again. Get lost in his own reality to ignore the real one for just a single moment.

Leo’s thoughts seemed to drift from the blonde secretary to the warm hand he was holding. No matter how cold it was, the younger always seemed to be so warm. He was just so warm and... _beautiful_. The things that unwillingly appeared in his mind made Leo nearly choke on his spit. He cleared his throat awkwardly, though the other didn’t seem to notice, too busy watching his surroundings. Taking in every detail around him.

Leo remembered her soft, dainty hands. Her nails were perfectly shaped and cared for, skin smooth and milky white. Her hands left a cool feeling against his skin, leaving the exposed flesh tingling. He never knew whether he found that sensation disgusting and uncomfortable or intriguing and longed for. Calla’s hand was one that he never knew whether or not he liked to hold. It always felt too perfect for what she was always doing and eventually when they were walking through the gardens he’d want to let go of her hand, even though he tried to convince himself that he wanted to keep holding it.

Then he thought of warm hands, worn and bruised from work he had no knowledge of. But despite all, they were gentle and quick when they tended the foolish prince’s wound he so stupidly managed to get on his hand when he cut himself against the brush near the small pond. The hands that kept his warm that cold day.

He pictured the blond hair that almost covered it’s owners golden eyes. He remembered the veil that covered the smile that Leo had eventually accepted he’d never see. The tears shed that he’d never wipe away. The laugh he would be gifted to hear but never the full face to associate it with. The scars...the wounds that he could never heal.

Leo was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even really care when a kid’s soccer ball hit him in the head. Neither did he falter when the ache began to settle. Or when the kid screamed frantic apologies as if Leo was going to kill him for it or the laughing elderly women perched on the park bench who had witnessed the scene.

The only thing that seemed to snap him out of his odd trance was the melodious laugh beside him. The prince turned to look at his friend, raising an eyebrow to find the other’s radiant smile, the whole park seeming brighter even though it was covered in oranges and reds. The whole world a different shade of happiness. And then it felt like something had lit up in his empty and confusing world. He felt as if he wasn’t as hollow as before yet he couldn’t pin down why.

He couldn’t help but feel entranced as he watched bright sunset colored leaves swirl around the shorter, silver hair blowing gently in the autumn breeze.

And suddenly, Leo felt warmer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm not a consistent author. I really do tend to do this and I hate myself for it. I'd come up with this idea I'm so passionate for and then I begin writing a story and it all goes well until my motivation and inspiration runs dry and I abandon the work. One of the reasons I really was unsure of making fanfics. 
> 
> So I will give you guys a heads up...I'm not going to update frequently...which is kind of obvious by now. Maybe I'all post twice one month or one after two years...
> 
> Maybe I'll never finish this story...but I want to at least try harder before I give up


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo goes on his date while Takumi wonders whether or not he was better off living his life without a single memory of his childhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update was pretty quick. But remember what I said about inconsistency
> 
> Anyways, I think the huge bit near the end of the chapter that I had been itching to write ways what motivated me to power through this. So I hope you enjoy this chapter as always! 
> 
> I'd also like to take the time to thank everyone who left a comment on the last chapter. You've all made me feel a little less.. worse? About myself. So, I guess I'll awkwardly give you an awkward internet hug and then awkwardly say "I love you guys! <3"
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! I think I said that already but who cares

The park was surprisingly warmer that day.

Leo walked in step with Charlotte who seemed to be taking in the environment. Something about this path reminded him of the castle gardens once again. He pictured the many morning strolls he took with his wife, the date being a mirror image of it in fact.

The meal went as planned with pleasant conversation even though the bracelet placed carefully in his pocket seemed to unnerve him. He needed to relax. It wasn’t like he was asking her hand in marriage yet. It was just a simple gift.

“It’s kind of unfortunate that there isn’t too much to see at this time of year,” Charlotte sighed, staring at the blue sky, pale clouds dispersed throughout it, like patches of paint.

“I guess it is,” Leo nodded softly. “I think it depends on who you spend your time with that really makes a place special or indifferent.”

All his time he spent holed in the castle library was how he got to loving the environment and the thousands of books themselves. However, it was all the time he spent with his wife in the castle gardens that made him love them. After all when he was younger, he outright refused to play with his younger sister, afraid of getting his nose stuffy from pollen.

A small thought in the back of his mind made him wonder who brought him to enjoying the gardens he so much despised in his childhood.

“I think the same,” Charlotte smiled. “Memories of people and places change how you personally feel towards things. After all, nothing good comes out of spending too much time with people you dislike.”

Leo hummed in agreement. “Memories are what we end building upon I suppose. That’s why they seem...so important.”

He stopped the thoughts of his wife’s body, face and front concealed in the dark water that was once seen crystal blue. She was lifeless, the water’s current being the only guide to her movements.

The prince reminded himself of the figure who was standing right next to him. She was Calla’s reincarnate. They had the same soul...and he supposed they were bound to relive a similar life. Which only darkened his thoughts of her dying again in this world.

He remembered that he needed to find her enemies. Anyone she hated or anyone who hated her. He could narrow down who the killer may be.

“You probably know so much about me,” Leo smiled, softly. “More than I do. So I think I should learn a bit more about you.”

Charlotte looked down at her shoes, smiling bashfully as she tucked some of her blonde curls behind her ear. “Well, what would you like to know?”

“Tell me about your life, your hopes and dreams, your family, your friends,” Leo explained, smiling as Charlotte breathed a sweet laugh. “Your memories.”

Charlotte couldn’t hide her ginger smile, placing a slender finger on her chin as if she was pondering, painted nail tapping on milky white skin.

“Okay. My life hasn’t really been eventful. My mother is a professor at a university in Valla, so I grew up quite peacefully, though my father had left when I was young,” the blonde began. “When I finally decided to earn my own instead of depending on my mother’s salary, I chose to become a secretary for Corrin. Obviously, I had no certainty or guarantee of getting the job since it is such a famous and huge company. I was beyond ecstatic when I was given this opportunity.

“Let’s see...when I first started work, I was a rookie, so some of my co-workers made some snarky comments about me. They were quite bothersome the first few weeks, but with all my hard work, I ended up getting a raise and they all seemed to shut up, except Zola of course.”

Charlotte seemed to find the memory entertaining, laughing lightly to herself. Though Leo was focusing more so on the name she had mentioned. _Zola_.

The man was already untrustworthy. If he was Charlotte’s future murderer, than Leo wouldn’t have been surprised. The man had been bothering her from day one. What could that mean? Was he trying to befriend her? Enrage her? Or was he checking his new target...his future kill?

Leo took a deep breath, counting to ten, luckily the calming tactic was left unnoticed.

He tried to focus on anything else, mind darting from the secretary to the bracelet to the blades of yellowing grass aligning the path they were walking on.

Charlotte was Calla. Calla was Charlotte.

If Zola was the one who would end up harming her in this era, than who was he when the queen was assassinated? All these people had been reincarnated for the purpose of figuring out this one mystery. Did that mean that Leo had failed to do so in some parallel universe? Would he fail in this one?

Sighing, Leo took in his surroundings once again, glancing at the other who seemed to be watching two small children running around, chasing one another, their joyous laughter filling the park. Her smile seemed to calm his thoughts, though his face seemed to be fixed in a small, concerned frown.

Instead of dwelling on the matter in his head, Leo decided that his curiosity was getting the best of him, asking Charlotte something he had wondered about so long.

“Do you have any siblings? Just from someone who has three,” Leo looked intently at the shorter woman, waiting for the answer he didn’t even know he was holding his breath for. “Do you have a brother?”

It was as if the prince had decided that subtlety could take a break. He couldn’t beat around the bush. Not if he wanted to keep himself sane.

Charlotte seemed to pale at that. She couldn’t possibly tell this man the truth. Her hands balled into fists, nails digging into her own flesh at the thought of that poor excuse of a human being she had to call her adoptive brother. She forced her glossed lips to smile before shaking her head.

“No, I don’t. I was an only child growing up,” she explained, catching a seemingly foreign look in the other’s brown eyes. It couldn’t possibly be... _disappointment_?

“Oh. Well, I can tell you that you’ve definitely lived a peaceful life compared to what I believe was mine,” Leo grinned, earning a laugh from the blonde. He tried to keep his smile from faltering, hoping the other wouldn’t notice.

They continued to walk side by side, enjoying the scenery. The prince didn’t know whether or not it was considered a right moment to hold hands with the other. He glanced at both of their hands, both pale and slender. Unsure what to do, he decided to leave the situation alone, turning his head away and staring at the coloured trees, slowly growing bare.

The couple opted to sit on a free park bench, staring at the clouds that ever so slowly moved across the pale blue sky.

Leo used this time not to worry about the other beside him or the bracelet that was currently sitting in his pocket. He closed his eyes, finally allowing himself to fully acknowledge that Ren didn’t exist in this world. He didn’t have a reincarnation.

Charlotte had no siblings. No adoptive brother that would end up being his brother-in-law when they wed. No one who read as many books as he did or solved mysteries and riddles faster than one could blink. No one who cared so much about the flowers and plants of the castle gardens, but wouldn’t admit it. No one who got flustered so easily, even when he was being praised or complimented.

No Ren.

The prince almost felt like he had his hopes up. He was hoping to see Ren without a mask concealing half of his face. Without having to worry about scars or troubles that burdened him. A man who had regular problems like school and work in this world. But most of all Leo just wanted to see him again.

All these people he cared about and grew to care about were here. But he couldn’t shake the feeling of that one soul- that one soul that seemed to be the only one worthy of being reincarnated...but wasn’t.

There was a small tingling feeling, spreading through his body like a wildfire, as if he was trying to conserve the slightest bit of hope that his friend was here in this era. And maybe he was.

But even so, Leo couldn’t overthink it. Everyone seemed to be living in a replica of what was his era. If that was the case then Ren’s reincarnate would be Charlotte’s adoptive brother. Someone with a forgotten past with lost memories of a lost family. A mystery in itself.

A cool feeling, an all too familiar one, lingered on his hand, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looked down to see a feminine hand holding his.

“Today was nice,” Charlotte thanked him, voice smooth and quiet. “I’ve been stressed from work and today helped me relax. Thank you, Leo.”

“I think I should be the one thanking you for being here with me,” the blond prince squeezed her hand gently, the cool feeling prickling his skin. An uncomfortable feeling, yet he didn’t let go.

The shift in his pocket as he sat straighter reminded him of his gift.

“I have a surprise for you,” Leo spoke softly, catching the smile that widened on the other’s face. “Close your eyes.”

As Charlotte did so, Leo opened his small pocket, pulling out the bracelet he had bought. He let go of her hand to turn hers’ around, gently placing the piece of jewelry into her palm. Blue eyes fluttered open, looking down at the bracelet, shining underneath the little sunlight offered that day.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, watching the light reflect off the rose gold beads and polished pearls. She couldn’t believe her luck. Only the first date and he had already purchased her an expensive gift. Were her charms really that irresistible?

The prince helped her put on the new accessory, only wanting to see the other smile happily. A cool breeze blew on the couple, nearly causing Leo to shudder. He held onto his thin jacket, wishing for a little bit of warmth. The woman rotated her wrist in front of the both of them, watching the beads glimmer in delight.

Charlotte politely thanked him for the gift, mentioning she hoped they could do it again sometime while Leo nodded his head in agreement, biding her a farewell.

As the blonde secretary waved a goodbye, smiling the smile he remembered his wife wearing so often, Leo only felt colder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi sighed as he helped Silas carry a few boxes from the trucks over to the side. He had agreed to help out for the day when Odin had complained about the brutal work that they had been forced to do.

_“It’s almost as if they think we’re magical or something beyond human beings!”_

Takumi had wanted to point out that they did just suddenly appear in his house if he recalled correctly...by some magic of some sort. But instead he volunteered to help out if it made Odin shut up. The blond could go on forever on a topic if it frustrated him.

“Thanks for helping out again, Takumi,” Silas smiled, placing down the heavy boxes. “You know with you being around here so often, I wonder how you don’t have a job here at Corrin yet.”

The shorter only nervously laughed. “I don’t know. This company seems like a huge step up from where I used to work.”

In all honesty, he didn’t want a very angry blonde secretary harassing him everyday if he ever did get a job at Corrin. She was already on his case for not moving to Valla. He didn’t need her accusing him of following her or anything.

“If you’d like, I could always ask Leo to...tip the scales in your favor,” Silas offered, though Takumi couldn’t really say yes.

He may currently be unemployed, but he’d have to think about how a job at Corrin would affect everything. He didn’t want to make things worse for anyone.

“I don’t know,” Takumi shrugged. “Would that really be okay with everyone?”

“Of course it would,” Silas almost seemed offended by his statement. He opened his mouth to continue, but seemed to notice something in the distance. “Niles, that is crude and you know it!”

The knight sighed, facepalming as he shook his head, wondering how these imbeciles haven’t died in the modern world.

“Don’t encourage him, Odin!” Takumi added, laughing at the interesting sight. Those idiots.

Silas looked like a poor parent who was currently pretending that his two children weren’t his. He muttered something about it being incredibly embarrassing.

“I’ll have to talk some sense into those two. It’s like once the crown prince isn’t in the vicinity they decide it’s okay to joke around and ignore our responsibilities,” Silas sighed, crossing his arms. “Can you unload the last truck by yourself?”

“No problem,” Takumi smiled, hurrying over to the last white, delivery truck.

There was a box or two in the very back. Carefully, the silver haired man opened one of the doors wider, climbing into the trailer. Something felt nostalgic about the action, but he ignored the feeling and labeled it as a strange moment of deja vu. The door suddenly slammed shut behind him, causing him to not-so-gracefully fall forward.

The metal felt cold beneath his hands. He felt so cold.

It was pitch black and if Takumi was opening his eyes, he’d never even know. Muffled noises were heard around him. He could decipher what sounded like Niles and Silas. But soon the voices turned to incoherent noises, echoing throughout the small space.

Suddenly, he felt colder and alone. He felt like the world was spinning, the truck was jostling and turning and flipping over and all of a sudden Takumi could feel everything...replaying.

_“Hurry up, Takumi!” Charlotte growled, sighing as the young child ran over to her. “If we don’t get home faster, you won’t have enough time to finish cleaning my room.”_

_Takumi looked up at his adoptive sister, walking as fast as her long strides. It almost seemed like she wanted to ditch him even though she was barking at him to keep at her pace._

_Charlotte sipped on her juice box, biting on the straw almost angrily. Their mother had told him that she was just going through a phase. Takumi wasn’t so sure though. She never seemed to act like that to the guys she liked that past them on the sidewalk or to their neighbors._

_“I don’t get why I always have to do this,” Charlotte complained aloud as if showcasing her certain attitude. “If mom was so busy, then she should just ask our neighbor to pick you up from school.”_

_Takumi didn’t say anything. He knew that when he usually spoke it seemed to change his sister’s mood. Especially if he talked back._

_“I don’t get why I’m stuck with you either,” the blonde continued to say through gritted teeth. “Why can’t you just stay with_ your _family anyway?”_

_That was when Takumi decided to speak. He could feel his cheeks flush in anger._

_“I don’t know where they are,” the shorter explained. “I don’t know who they are.”_

_Charlotte squished her empty juice box in her hand, knuckles turning white. “What your special now? Cut the crap already. You don’t know your family. You think you're so important because of that? You think your real family is desperately trying to find you like you’re some lost treasure or something?”_

_“No,” Takumi replied simply, ignoring his sister’s icy glare._

_He didn’t think anyone would want him. Not after Charlotte made it oh-so clear that she didn’t. If his own adoptive sister hated his guts, who's to say that his real family wouldn’t?_

_“Whatever,”Charlotte rolled her eyes, tossing the juice box into the opened trailer of a delivery truck. She wiped her hands on her jeans as if the thing was filthy._

_“Why did you do that?” Takumi asked without thinking, staring at the open truck. “There’s a trash can near our house.”_

_The taller sneered and turned on her heel. “And I don’t care.”_

_“That’s rude though,” The silver haired boy exclaimed, clutching onto his backpack strap._

_“Well, why don’t you go get it then?” the girl taunted. “If you think that stupid juice box was so important, than go fetch it and throw it in the trash where you belong.”_

_Takumi sighed before heading toward the truck cautiously. No one was around yet since the driver seemed to be slowly walking over, earbuds in his ears, blasting whatever music he was listening to. He seemed distracted so Takumi narrowed down that he had enough time to quickly grab the trash and get out before the truck left. Quickly and nimbly, he climbed into the back of the truck, ignoring the way his backpack seemed to shift its weight more to the left._

_There were a few boxes, but it appeared most had been delivered. The trailer was long, especially for a small child. It had a dim amount of light coming from the opened doors. Treading carefully, Takumi walked further down the trailer, eyes scanning the floor for the garbage his sister had refused to discard properly._

_As he grabbed the red and blue box, turning around to quickly dash out of the truck, he caught sight of his adoptive sister at the doors. She smiled mockingly before shutting the doors closed with all her strength. Registering what had just happened, Takumi ran over to the door, pounding on the metal door._

_The truck was starting. He was panicking_.

_“Charlotte, this isn’t funny!” the young boy yelled, anxiously trying to somehow pry the locked doors open._

_“And it isn’t meant to be a joke! Can you be less useless for a second? Geez,” He heard Charlotte’s voice call from the other side. “I don’t want or need a brother.”_

_What did she mean by that? Was she actually trying to get rid of him?_

_“Goodbye, Takumi,” were the last words Takumi could hear before the truck started forward._

_Then he fell back, landing on the cold metal. Black was all he could see unless he turned to look at where the doors were where a sliver of light peeked through. Though it didn’t matter if he could see anything or not. All he could picture before him was his so called adoptive sister’s grin as she slammed those doors shut. He felt cold._

_Would his mother miss him? Would she even care? Was she like Charlotte and thought she didn’t need or want a son?_

_Takumi curled his knees to his chest as he leaned against the cool metal wall that his layers of clothing seemed to do nothing against. He felt drops of water land on his knees, probably staining his pants and only then did he realize he was crying. He cried in the dark for a while. He felt immensely lonely, cold and forgotten._

_Charlotte’s words echoed through the trailer, tears burned his eyes as he covered his ears in attempt to stop her screeching._

“You’re so pathetic! Can’t you do anything right?”

_Voices became muffled. He just wanted to go home._

_It felt like days. It felt like years. Takumi didn’t know when the two doors would open again. When the truck would finally stop_.

_He ended up throwing the juice box somewhere in the trailer after feeling sickened at the thought that that was the sole reason he was even in the truck. Charlotte was the reason he even went in. He should’ve just let her litter. After all, the truck driver would’ve probably had to deal with a lot less trouble finding a piece of trash in his truck than finding a kid._

_He spent the rest of his time blaming Charlotte, blaming the juice box, and blaming himself._

_He tried opening his backpack and doing some schoolwork (not that that mattered now anyway) or draw to pass some time, but there was little light to do any of that. Instead he placed his backpack underneath his head as he curled into himself to get some sleep._

_Takumi felt himself drifting off, finally allowing himself to rest when the truck suddenly jolted to the side. He thought that it was scary before having this truck take him to who knows where, but now he was petrified. The truck flipped, flinging him before it hit the ground harshly, his body slamming into the other wall and floor repeatedly._

_And the world he already thought was pitch black grew darker._

“Takumi!”

His amber eyes opened, harshly met with blinding light.

He was in the trailer of the truck, the doors wide open with Silas, Odin and Niles staring at him curiously.

“Are you alright?” Silas asked, worriedly.

“We didn’t mean to shut the doors. You seemed to frozen in fear when we opened them again. By chance, are you afraid of the dark?” Odin asked, preparing to climb into the trailer himself.

“No, I’m not _that_ scared of the dark,” Takumi shook his head. “And I’m alright. I was just thinking about something.”

Niles somehow elegantly shoved Odin out of the way, hopping into the trailer with one swift movement. He held out a hand for Takumi, smirking. The shorter thanked him as the other helped him up.

“You still seem pretty shook,” the former thief pointed out. “You look pretty pale, your eyes are tearing up and your hands are too cold.”

Takumi allowed his hands to disappear in his sweater sleeves in a sorry attempt to somewhat warm them up while he subconsciously rubbed any tears from his eyes.

“We’ll move the rest of the boxes,” Niles exclaimed, already carrying the only two away.

“I’ll bring you some spring water,” Odin piped in, dashing away. The blond came back with a bottled water in hand. “It’s mountain spring water. Isn’t that amazing? Your people have traveled to the mountains, obtaining enough spring valley water from the rivers to fill this very bottle.”

Takumi laughed, thanking the mage for the drink. He didn’t have the heart to tell him that that process didn’t really happen. Odin deserved to believe he was drinking the finest spring water in all the land for just a bit longer.

“Good work guys,” Silas smiled, happily sitting down to finally rest his legs. “We managed to finish all the work faster than I thought we would.”

Takumi thought that they did do a good job as well. All the work had distracted him from thinking about Leo’s date. He honestly didn’t know how he felt about it. The prince had looked pretty excited when he mentioned it that morning, so Takumi wished him luck and hid the pang of sadness he felt in his heart.

After all, he had to be a supportive friend.

“Especially with our prince frolicking with a woman off in the distance,” Niles chuckled, sitting down as well. “He’s grown up so fast.”

“Niles, he’s married before you. Shut up,” Silas frowned, unimpressed. “Besides, have you actually hit it off with anyone before?”

Niles’ smirk only grew wider. “Do you really want me to answer that one? I have too many stories to tell.”

“Like what?” Takumi asked, curiously.

“Ooh! Tell him the story with the Wyvern rider!” Odin clapped his hands, swooning. “The love story was so tragic and rich. A tearjerker might I add!”

“Odin, she left him for her wyvern,” Silas deadpanned. “There’s nothing rich or tear jerking about it.”

“Actually, she left me because her wyvern was dying. Thing needed hospitalization,” Niles corrected. “Besides, she promised to see me again afterwards when we met in the meadows at sunset.”

“My heart! Such a tearjerker,” Odin faked tears, pretending to sob.

“Okay then what’s so tragic about it?” Silas asked, knowing he’d regret it afterwards. Which he did.

Niles leaned in closer for the three of them to hear as if he was telling them something top secret or just for the effect. It ended up being the ladder.

“Her brother was better in bed,” he said in a low, husky voice.

Odin feigned a gasp, Silas looked utterly horrified while Takumi wondered why he didn’t find that comment coming from Niles surprising.

“You disgust me,” Silas shifted away from him only making the taller laugh.

Takumi smiled as Niles began telling them the story of some stable boy, all four smiling and laughing. It felt nice being around his friends. It felt nice calling these people his friends. He felt better after hanging out with them. It almost made him forget about what he had just remembered.

Almost.

A piece of his memory had been restored like a puzzle piece finally being put in the right place. He could remember what had happened that day. How he ended up in that accident. Now, he wondered whether or not he was better off not knowing.

Maybe it would’ve hurt less never knowing what had happened.

He knew that he never did understand Charlotte before. And now he understood her even less. Her intentions, her reasonings for what she did were all mixed in his head. He still had no clue why she did the things she did. Why she said the things she did and why she thought up the things she did.

But one thing was clear in his jumble of confused thoughts. He needed to talk to her whether or not it would end up hurting himself more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Charlotte smiled to herself, playing with the new bracelet on her wrist. It must of at least cost a handful of money. She silently wondered what the future had in store for the couple. With Leo infatuated with her, she was able to do anything without that idiot Zola getting in her way.

The old pig was always pestering her. With one cry or plea for help, Leo would have the man fired with the snap of his fingers. She could just picture it happening. She’d scream that Zola had grabbed her and touched her, run into Leo’s arms and cry into his shoulder.

The disgusting man would be begging on his knees to keep his job, to keep the life he tried to so carefully maintain. And for fun she could throw in the fact that he tried to kill Xander that night. Watch as he accuses her of lying and framing him.

Charlotte sighed happily, walking down the hall. Maybe she’d find the blond like-prince and sweet talk him a bit more.

Her smile instantly faded when she was met with the sight of her so-called adoptive brother at the end of the hall. What did he want? Doesn’t he already get it? She didn't want him near her.

“Is this some kind of joke to you?” Charlotte spat, stalking closer to the other, the click of her white heels echoing throughout the hall.

This time however, Takumi didn’t feel uncomfortable or nervous. He felt angry.

“It isn’t meant to be one,” Takumi replied, trying his best to remain calm.

He watched as the other impatiently glowered at him. She didn’t have the right to look at him like he was disgusting when she had the intention of getting rid of him for good when they were younger.

“Why are you even here?” the secretary scoffed.

“Are you even human?” He asked quietly.

Charlotte scowled, unamused. “What?”

“Did it feel nice closing that door on me that day?” Takumi asked, bitterly. “Did it feel nice knowing you finally got rid of me?”

Charlotte’s rage morphed into shock. She seemed to freeze in place, a look of fear and horror in her eyes. Blinking a few times, she seemed to snap out of it before grabbing the other’s wrist and dragging him into a nearby room, currently unoccupied.

“Y-you,” she tried to sneer, though the venom in her voice died out. “H-how do you remember -know about that?”

“Y-you’re pathetic and useless and _disgusting_ ,” Charlotte continued as if to answer his question. As if she didn’t want him to answer hers. “It felt amazing when I slammed those metal doors shut. To be free of you once again.”

Takumi scoffed. “I’m disgusting? Do you not look at yourself in the mirror? You wanted me to disappear-die if you were lucky. You wanted that truck you left me in to take me to god knows how far away from you.”

“So what if I did?” Charlotte felt tears forming in her eyes as she screamed. “I hated you! I still hate you! I wanted you to die, to rot, to disappear from my life that day!”

“You only care about yourself, Charlotte!” Takumi exclaimed, a tear rolling down his cheek even though he promised himself that he wouldn’t cry. “Did you realize what you did to our mother? Did you think for a second to realize that she blamed herself for all of this? That she blamed and burdened herself for something you did?”

Charlotte went silent, her ragged breathing the only sound she could make or muster. Her own tears rolled down her face as she snarled at him, the scowl showing her rage, disgust and frustration.

Takumi wanted to decipher the look in her eyes under all the rage and disgust. The reason she seemed to be crying. Did she feel guilty for what she did? Did all the satisfaction turn to regret when she realized what she did? Did she only remain calm in front of their mother because she realized he didn’t remember a single thing? She thought she was in the safe zone- that she had gotten away with it.

Or was she just upset that he might call her out in front of everyone? Was she scared that people would find out what she did to him and see who she truly was?

“Don’t you dare say that,” Charlotte snapped, voice cracking slightly. “Don’t you dare lie to me. Mother would never be foolish enough to worry about the likes of you, let alone patronize herself for it.”

“She’s my birth mother. You’re just some pathetic kid that was abandoned by your own,” the blonde continued. “You don’t have the right to call her mother.”

“And neither do you,” Takumi countered. “You’ve lied to everyone here. Your ‘mother’ is a professor in Valla because you were so embarrassed of your actual mother that you felt the need to pretend she didn’t exist.”

The sound of the slap seemed to echo throughout the mainly empty room. Takumi wasn’t all that surprised as the sting on his left cheek prickled and faded.

“Shut up,” Charlotte growled. “Shut up!”

“Don’t you get it? It’s all your stupid fault!” she cried. “You hurt the people around you! So it isn’t my fault, it’s all yours.”

The silver haired male tried not to let that comment get to him. He tried to remember how immature she was acting at the moment.

“You sicken me,” Takumi said, grabbing onto the other’s wrist when she moved to slap him again. “So I’ll agree with your request that day.”

“Let’s not be siblings,” the silver haired male spoke quietly, maintaining his calm. Something the other hadn’t been able to do. “Because I’m glad I’m not related to someone like you.”  
  
Charlotte sucked in a deep breath, refusing to meet the other’s eyes. She seemed done. She didn’t want to yell or screech anymore. She didn’t want to cry anymore. Her rage seemed to be simmering down.

Takumi glanced over at what was shining on her wrist before letting it go. He recognized the bracelet the moment he laid eyes on it. But he didn’t want to stay in the other’s presence to dwell on it, so he turned around and left silently.

The halls were empty. He couldn’t help but wish the ground would swallow him whole as he walked. Wiping the few tears he had shed, he continued forward.

He finally understood why Leo was asking so many weird questions and those stupid twine dolls. He asked for love- he was in love. The reason why Charlotte seemed to want him to leave Leo alone. His date was with Charlotte. Leo liked Charlotte, the person who hurt him so badly that he felt like he was suffocating. The uncomfortable feeling wouldn’t go away, he felt sick. He hurt so much that he would’ve traded it away for another slap to the face.

Of course, he wouldn’t expect the other to know how she acted towards him. It still hurt knowing that the person who was responsible for his lost memories was the girl that the prince fancied.

It was his own fault anyway...for even developing a romantic interest in the taller blond. He should’ve blocked out that feeling, destroyed it; that warm fuzzy feeling the moment he felt it. He knew that a romantic relationship between them would never happen anyway. He guessed that Charlotte was right in that sense. He hurt people around him, even himself.

“Takumi!” a familiar voice called out, stopping him in his tracks. It was one of the last people he wanted to see or talk to right now.

He felt himself moving forward again, refusing to turn his head around. He couldn’t hide how broken he felt now. He couldn’t smile and say he was alright because he knew he wasn’t. He heard footsteps behind him and for whatever reason, the younger couldn’t force himself to run away.

“Takumi,” the voice was softer now, a hand grabbing onto his wrist when he continued to trudge away.

And only then did Takumi make the mistake of turning on instinct. He felt himself shatter when he saw the other’s concerned face. He wanted him to stop looking at him like that. He wanted Leo to stop caring so much. Maybe then it would hurt less knowing he loved Charlotte.

Leo felt time stop when the other only gave him a wounded look before tugging free from his loose grip and walking away. He’d never seen that look in the others eyes before. He’d caught hints of sadness, but he’d never seen him look so...so broken.

He hadn’t seen such a defeated look since...since that day in the castle dining hall.

The prince shook that thought out of his head as the sound of high heels caused him to turn around. He found Charlotte walking through the hall, immediately freezing at the sight of him. She looked utterly upset about something but also shocked to see him there. She straightened when she felt his gaze, but Leo couldn’t stand looking at her for some reason any longer.

He looked back to where Takumi had left, then back to Charlotte. He thought that it would’ve made sense to console the person he would want to call his wife, but he immediately turned to run out the door in search for the silver haired male.

The night air prickled against his skin, though he continued to run. This feeling he felt wouldn’t go away. Not until he saw the other. Not until he figured what was wrong and made it all better.

He needed to find the other and he didn’t even know why he wanted to so bad. Maybe because he wanted to take away the pain that seemed to burden him. He never wanted to see that look on the other’s face again. He wouldn’t allow Takumi to get away with going on about happiness and good memories. Not when he looked so destroyed and hurt at that moment.

And it was almost as if fate was telling him that it was the right thing to do when he caught sight of the other, bathed in street light. It was almost as if fate wanted him to reach out and grab the other’s shoulder. And for once Leo could finally make sense of this strange sort of magic because he felt like it was right too.

So he felt as if fate wanted him standing in that very place as he spun the other around to face him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew this chapter wasn't really fluffy and cute at all. Though Silas, Niles and Odin are all too adorable in their own way XD
> 
> Anyway, so now you guys know even more about Takumi's past. And I'm so sorry, Leo doesn't think Ren has a reincarnation since Charlotte lied and since he doesn't know her true personality he just assumes she's telling the truth. But even then he still has this weird feeling telling him he's already met Ren in this era (heehee)
> 
> And also Leo still has a long way to go with marrying Charlotte and what not...so stay tuned for that
> 
> And I guess you guys can kind of see the contrast I threw in there with Leo feeling warm with Takumi (and when he smiles, he can't help but smile too) and how he feels cold with Charlotte. 
> 
> And also that moment where you all think Leo finally did something right and chose to run after Takumi instead of going to Charlotte ;)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo is still in the slow process of coming to terms with his feelings and all the new and old problems he must face 
> 
> (Or just mainly Leo's POV but also me resolving that cliffhanger from three months ago XD)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise? I guess. 
> 
> Here's my random update XD. 
> 
> And of course, it just had to be before exams! Good for me!  
> Anyways, I wrote this chapter but actually had to split it in half mid way because it was just getting too long, especially since I had so many events planned for this chapter. But now, I feel like it isn't long enough...??? 
> 
> Well anyways, I hope you guys enjoy and I'll continue to work hard on writing this story!

_The castle dining hall was nearly dark. Then again everything seemed dark in Nohr. You needed to be surrounded by the right people to see the world in light._

_Ren felt his hands shaking as he frantically picked up broken glass, praying that the stone floor would fall through. So he could just disappear._

_It was his fault anyway. He bumped into the crown princess. He dropped the plate. So that means he deserved her yells and disgust. He deserved his sister’s hatred. So why did it hurt so much?_

_Then instead of broken white prices scattered across the dark, cold floor, Ren only saw red. He saw red as his cut hands clumsily tried to clean up the mess he created. And maybe then was when he started to cry. Or maybe it was when he fell to his knees, now most likely bruised, earlier to quickly pick up everything that broke._

_He felt like glass, cracking and on the verge of shattering. But even so he continued to pick up glass, now bloodied shards and discarding them into the small dust pan._

_He felt like he was suffocating beneath his veil that covered his face, which seemed like the only thing that prevented people from seeing how torn he was. How broken he was._

_“Ren?” a voice halted his movements. Shuffling occurred behind him._

_“Ren,” the crown prince knelt onto the floor next to him, only for the other to begin picking up shards again, hands growing so cold and numb he didn’t even feel them pierce his flesh anymore._

_“Ren, stop you’re bleeding!” Gentle hands held onto his wrists. “You’re hurting yourself.”_

_Leon quickly left to get a cloth and some medical supplies, relieved to find that the other hadn’t moved when he returned. He carefully treated the cuts all over his hands. He didn’t ask him what had happened since it was pretty self-explanatory. That was what the prince had thought before he looked into the younger’s eyes._

_He was taken aback, having never seen his brother-in-law look so hurt. For a few seconds he tried to convince himself that he was expressing the pain he felt from cutting his hands so many times, but he knew that wasn’t the reason._

_Leon wanted the other to laugh again and maybe smile, even if he couldn’t see it. He wanted to say something to cheer the other up, but he couldn’t. He wrapped the bandages around Ren’s hands silently before cleaning the rest of the glass and discarding the contents of the dust pan._

_Ren got up, quickly and quietly, bowing politely towards the prince, muttering a soft thank you before turning to leave._

_“Are you…” Leon started before he even registered the thought. “Are you alright?”_

_He didn’t expect the other to tell him the truth. So when Ren said he was fine, why did he let it be? Why did he convince himself that it would all be fine the next day?_

_Leon believed that it would all be better by the next day. But when his wife fell ill and claimed she couldn’t embroider for him he knew it wasn’t all right. And when his own younger sister insisted that she wouldn’t play in the gardens without her brother-in-law he knew that it wasn’t alright. And when Ren didn’t come the next day to tend to the camellias, Leon knew he wasn’t all right._

_It took a single week for things to return to normal, but even then the prince had observed the flowers every morning, wondering if he should have done something. Wondering what was bothering the other. Wondering if he should have asked him about it or told him a poem to cheer him up._

_Somehow the beautiful flowers seemed dimmer that week when no one tended to them. They seemed sad and lonely._

_And on the verge of breaking_.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo stared into the other’s amber eyes as the shorter seemed shocked to find him there. And even so, the other seemed so dainty, so hurt. And once again, the prince knew he couldn’t let someone get away with burdening themselves with such pain again. Not when he could do something about it.

Takumi felt the other’s soft grip on his shoulder. He saw the other standing before him, wondering why he ran after him. Why did he care? Why did he follow him? Didn’t he know this was making him feel worse?

“I don’t want to see that look on your face,” Leo breathed. “I don’t want to see you look so hurt and broken.”

Takumi took a deep breath. He wished the other would stop saying those words. He may end up being less hurt and broken.

“It’s none of your business,” Takumi muttered, looking down at his shoes. “So, just leave it be.”

“I can’t sit by, knowing I didn’t at least try again,” Leo spoke softly, though he sounded as if he was also talking to himself in a way. “I...have the choice of being here with you right now..so that’s why I came here. So I can’t just leave it be.”

Leo had so many things to thank the other for. From everything he taught him to everything he’s told him. The other has seen the side of him that he couldn’t afford to show back in his era. He’s seen his sadness and grief and was helping him through it. He wanted to return such a huge favor.

Takumi breathed out a mocking laugh. “I was wrong. Completely wrong about everything.”

“I shouldn’t have been too quick to judge you before,” the shorter continued. “I guess bad memories do truly ruin everything.”

Leo almost faltered then. “Did you remember something? From your past?”

Takumi only curtly nodded, slowly walking in the direction he had been heading in, the other walking by his side. He glanced to the side the prince wasn’t currently at, afraid to look at the other. In fact he didn’t even know where he was going. Now and maybe forever.

“I’m sorry,” Takumi mumbled, not even sure why he decided to apologize at that moment. “I realized I mess up too much. I’m too stupid to see what's in front of me and that makes me such an idiot. I guess I’m just too prideful and stubborn to realize that I’m wrong almost half of the time.”

“I don’t even know what I was thinking back then,” Takumi sighed, watching the shadows of passing cars wash over the sidewalk. “Maybe I was too oblivious. I was in some protected bubble when I couldn’t remember anything.”

Leo knew that the other wasn’t absolutely right that day. But it was the hope that he gave him that urged him forward. It was the feeling...the thoughts and words that the younger had given him. It made him happy. It made him have a little more hope.

“I can never give anyone anything,” Takumi reminisced. He could never offer anyone anything of value. He felt useless.

“You’ve given me so much,” Leo countered. He could still remember the first few days he had shown up in the modern world. And now that he had more knowledge, he began to realize how foolish he had acted back then. He nearly cringed.

“You’ve given me happiness,” the prince explained. He noticed the other offer him a sad smile as they continued to walk.

The blond took pride in his ability to watch how others reacted and behaved. He couldn’t help but notice how the other seemed to look more hurt after his statement. Then again, he was never good at comforting people. In fact, he probably had all the literature he was fascinated in indulging in to thank for anything remotely inspiring.

Or maybe if the feeling overwhelmed him enough, he could actually say what he truly meant without even having to think over it.

“Make good memories,” Leo repeated what Takumi had told him that day at the pond. “Make good memories starting _now_.”

“ __See that’s what I mean,” the shorter bit his lip. “What the hell was I even thinking?”

“You were telling me to try to start over,” Leo explained, the night air seeming to envelope him in a feeling equivalent to wanting to scream at the top of his lungs in front of his king of a father. He wanted to keep telling the other that he was perfectly fine until he lost his voice.

“You told me to try to get new good memories,” he smiled a bit at the thought of everything they’ve really been through. “And I have.”

Takumi couldn’t help but feel like the other was talking about Charlotte. Then he went back to wondering how well their date had went. Then he went back to realizing he shouldn’t interfere with their relationship. Then he went back to thinking about how he was most likely burdening the other with how annoyingly insecure he was being as of that moment.

He caught the sight of an old playground, illuminated in street light, now completely empty due to how late it was into the night. He seemed to remember when Oboro and Hinata were showing him around the neighborhood. Hinata would run up the playground sliding happily down the yellow slide. Oboro had called him childish, but even she immediately ran to play on one of the apparatus.

He couldn’t help but smile at the thought, which Leo caught easily.

The prince glanced at the playground nearby, sparking an idea in his mind. He swiftly grabbed the other’s hand, much to the other’s chagrin, before running towards the playground.

“What are you doing?” Takumi breathed as he was dragged over to the children’s park. He blushed at the sudden realization of the other holding his hand.

“Y-your hands can’t possibly be cold right now,” he cursed that god forsaken stutter before yanking his hand free halfheartedly.

“Actually,” Leo smirked, “my hands are freezing. And it’s technically your fault.”

The shorter realized how much he missed that smirk. And also how badly he wanted to punch the other in the face whenever it appeared. After all, there always seemed to be some sly comment afterwards.

“My fault?” Takumi scowled. “I didn’t ask you to run after me. That was all you.”

“Ah yes, but you were the one that ignored me and left. Which by the way is considered to be pretty rude,” the blond retorted. “So of course, I had to follow you to figure out what was wrong.”

“I-I’m...not your stupid...heater,” Takumi muttered, wanting to just die right then and there. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with all these feelings.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that,” Leo grinned, earning a very annoyed pout from the other.

“Okay, first of all,” the silver haired male glared at the amused royal, “You’re not sorry at all.”

Leo even had the nerve to shrug. The younger wasn’t wrong.

“And second of all,” Takumi sighed, nervously looking around and digging the toe of his shoe into the dirt. He couldn't believe he was saying this. “If your hands are _that_ cold, I guess you can hold mine.”

“Do my ears deceive me?” Leo didn’t even have the decency to hide his ever amused smile. “I don’t believe I heard you correctly.”

“Just hold my hand, goddamnit,” Takumi exclaimed, earning a chuckle from the other.

“Your flirting needs some work,” the blond laughed. “Is this why you aren’t in a romantic relationship?”

In the midst of how red his face was turning, Takumi felt like screaming that Leo was the one who asked _him_ for dating advice.

Instead he just spun on his heel. “You know what? Screw you.”

But as expected, a hand almost immediately grabbed onto his wrist, spinning him around and intertwining their fingers. The younger was met with a cute crooked smile which he definitely wasn't expecting.

“Follow me,” Leo spoke softly, guiding him towards the swing set.

Leo let go of his hand, sitting somewhat elegantly onto one of the swings. Takumi shamefully missed the feeling of holding the other’s hand, but shrugged it off as he watched the prince hiss at the cold metal chains he was grasping.

The blond adorably patted the other swing expectantly, sniffling from the cold. Which reminded Takumi why the taller shouldn’t have been staying outside for too long. He had to start taking care of himself more.

“This is unbelievably childish for you, Leo,” Takumi scoffed, though he trudged over to the second swing, diligently sitting on it.

“Some of us didn’t get to be children when we were younger,” Leo murmured, taking a deep breath. “Might as well enjoy these moments while they last.”

Takumi bit the inside of his cheek as he glanced at the other’s lost look. It was one of those moments where he just wished that he could take back what he had said. Why did he have to be so unbelievably blunt?

The younger held onto the chains of the swing, rusted metal cold from the night air. The burn it left on his hands was just a blatant reminder of the one he had held only minutes before. The silver haired male looked up at the night sky. Back in Valla, he remembered how from the beach he lived nearby, you could see speckled stars, brightly scattered across the dark sky. Now in Cheve, he could point out a distinct few, dimly apparent. So little, he could actually count all the ones he saw.

He half heartedly swung back and forth, the swing barely moving forward and back. Rusted metal squeaking brought his attention to the other who swung with the actual intention to. His small, genuine smile warmed Takumi’s heart, chains between his fingers sending a soft feeling throughout his being.

It was almost as if every creak and squeak of the swing was a pattern, the music that filled the quiet atmosphere. And something about it seemed so calming : the cold metal, the silent night and the soft sounds of the swing.

But of course that moment wouldn’t last forever.

“It is considered rude to stare,” Leo grinned as he continued to swing, almost startling the other.

“Stare?” Takumi scowled, blushing as he turned his head away. “Why would I stare at _you_ of all things?”

“I’m highly offended, Takumi,” Leo put a hand to his heart, still steadily swinging back and forth. “After all, I am freezing to death for you.”

“I didn’t ask you to,” Takumi scoffed. “You picked your own poison.”

He dug the toe of his shoes into the dirt beneath him. It was still soft, though quickly hardening from the change of weather. Winter would soon greet them and Takumi was just glad that the amount of snow Cheve received each year wasn’t grave.

“The least you could do is swing with more enthusiasm,” Leo pointed out, observing the other’s conserved movements. “I promise you a good memory after all.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Takumi snorted as he continued to stare at the ground.

Leo’s swinging slowed down, the height of each swing lowering. He hooked his elbows over the chains in order to rub his pale hands together for the slightest warmth.

“You’re my friend, Takumi,” Leo said, a gentleness to his voice that was sounded like music to the other’s ears. “I don’t break promises I make for friends.”

Leo was a reliable person. Someone who cared even when he didn’t always show it. Someone who was loyal, brave and kind. Not to mention the whole genius part. Takumi bit his lip as he processed the blond’s words once again.

Leo was his friend. And he was a good one. And Takumi was going to have to accept that that was all they would ever be. _Friends_. He couldn’t let his selfish interests ruin everything for everyone. It was for the best.

“We should go-” Takumi felt the swing move forward as slender hands pushed his back softly. “What are you doing?”

He hadn’t even noticed that the other had gotten off his swing and silently walked behind him.

“Isn’t it quite obvious?” Leo raised an eyebrow amused at the other’s sudden flustered reaction.

“Okay, okay,” Takumi frowned. “But _why_?”

“Whenever my sister was upset, I would push her on the small swing set we had in the castle gardens,” Leo replied, smiling a bit to himself. “I never understood why she always felt better afterwards, but I guess it was sort of the feeling knowing that someone would always be there for them to rely on or have their back.”

The swing that Elizabeth had played on almost all the time had broke a few years ago (well from his era), though he didn’t need to mention that part to the other.

“You are unbelievably cheesy today,” Takumi stared the ground, biting his lip in attempts to stop himself from blushing. “Are you auditioning for the lead of a drama all of a sudden?”

That went over the other’s head. Takumi wanted to facepalm, but refrained from doing so. Of course, the prince didn’t know what a drama was. In fact he didn’t even think the blond bothered to watch TV shows despite Takumi wasting several hours of his life explaining those things to that crown prince and the other three ducklings.

“Ungrateful punk,” Takumi breathed out.

“What?” Leo asked, curiously.

“Nothing,” Takumi quickly replied, grinning. “Just...the weather’s nice today.”

“Alright,” Leo glared at the other, unamused. “First of all, I know you were mocking me. Second of all, everything is numb besides my frozen fingers, so the weather is anything but pleasant. And lastly, it’s night, so technically you should’ve been saying ‘the weather’s nice tonight.’”

“Actually, it’s past midnight,” Takumi corrected the other who had been correcting him. “So in your sense, it was technically last night.”

The shorter blinked a few times before standing up so abruptly the swing jostled.  
He immediately turned to Leo.

“It’s past midnight,” Takumi repeated, almost as if this was some stupid Cinderella moment. “Why are we still out here?”

“Because we were making a good memory,” Leo explained nonchalantly as he slowly began walking forward, motioning the other to follow.

“And what if I don’t consider that a good memory?” Takumi asked, crossing his arms.

“Well did you?” The prince asked in return, expectantly.

Takumi bit his lip, fingers playing with the material of his sweater sleeves as they walked. He looked at the other, hair glowing under moonlight, eyes soft and warm, hand cold,but gentle. Then he thought over the other’s words and his persistence.

He smiled at these thoughts, even if they had happened nearly moments ago. “I can’t believe this, but I did.”

Leo smiled, not his usual, arrogant smirk. But a genuine, beautiful smile.

“Good, cause I’m freezing to death, so we should probably head home now.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo awoke to a slender finger poking his cheek. He groaned before groggily sitting up on the couch that he had fallen asleep on. He blinked at his surroundings, suddenly remembering that he had been so exhausted, he’d claimed the living room’s couch as his bed hours ago.

“Rise and shine, your highness,” Niles grinned, only earning a halfhearted smack from his barely awaken prince.

“What time is it?” the blond yawned as he stretched his arms.

“You slept till noon,” Silas replied, plopping onto the floor next to the couch.

“Noon?” Leo coughed, eyes widening almost instantly, any sign of grogginess fading. “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”

“Princes need their beauty sleep,” Odin explained, leaning on the backside of the couch. “Besides, you should explain yourself young man! We were all worried sick when you didn't return.”

Leo was wondering whether or not he forgot to do something the other night.

He could only offer a sigh and an apologetic smile. “I sincerely apologize for all this. I did not intend to worry you three or cause any sort of panic.”

“I was only doing something that I felt was right,” the prince tried to explain. “It was something that I felt like I needed to do at that very moment.”

He couldn’t help but smile at the memories of what had occurred. His sudden happiness did not go past his three guards who shared curious and confused glances with one another.

“Do my ears deceive me?” Niles feigned a gasp. “Did my precious prince finally _do it_ with the princess?”

Leo nearly choked on air. Scratch that, he was literally coughing.

“I was wondering when we’d get a new _little prince_ to watch over,” Niles cooed, teasingly.

“Don’t act like that, Niles,” Silas rolled his eyes. “Clearly, the crown prince has proposed to Charlotte. Their marriage will definitely lead to the resolution of this case.”

“That’s most wonderful!” Odin clapped, excitedly. “I’ll make sure your wedding here will be just as extravagant as the one you had before.”

“A little prince after the wedding wouldn’t be too bad either, if you catch my drift,” Niles muttered, quickly glancing away from the currently glaring, grey haired knight.

Leo felt like choking on more air afterwards. He had almost completely forgotten about that. The fact that he somehow had to propose to Charlotte without seeming too forward was painful. How was he supposed to accomplish that? He barely had enough confidence to give her that bracelet. How was he going to ask for something as big as her hand in marriage? Not to mention, he didn’t even know whether or not she truly loved him back. Especially enough to agree to their engagement.

Before his men got too excited, Leo cleared his throat. “Actually, I haven’t proposed to her yet.”

The quick frowns the blond received only seemed to toughen the blow.

“But,” Leo added quickly, regretting his next few words. “I plan to soon.”

He could sense the disappointment in his friends’ eyes and Leo couldn’t help but feel terrible for all this. It was his fault that the three got dragged into this new era. And it appeared that more than anything, they at least wanted to go back home. So, Leo decided that somehow, he was going to get Charlotte to willingly marry him. Then they’d be a step closer to catching the murderer and a step closer to returning home.

“That is still progress,” Silas smiled, though it was notably smaller than before.

“How’d your date go?” Niles asked before the silence grew too big. “If you're planning to propose soon, I assume it went well.”

“It did,” Leo replied, adjusting the headband that had miraculously stayed on his head when he had fallen asleep. He glanced down at his attire, realizing that he had also fallen asleep with the clothes he had worn the day before. He truly was exhausted when they had returned.

For some odd reason, he didn’t feel like talking too much about his date at the moment despite it being a success. He needed to get a few things settled and off his chest first.

So before he’d forget, Leo said, “I need to ask you three for something extremely important.”

“Anything for you, milord,” Silas almost immediately replied afterwards, bowing his head curtly. His other two friends nodded as well, eagerly awaiting their prince’s orders.

“There is something fishy going on in the company,” Leo explained. “And I’m afraid it’s a part of what has happened to the real Leo, Odin, Silas and Niles.”

“I need you to keep a close eye on a man named Zola for me,” the blond continued. “He seems highly suspicious and I can’t help but feel he is somehow involved in all this. Find any information that you can and keep notes on his interactions and tendencies.”

“It’s been awhile since I had to spy on someone,” Niles grinned, clearly intrigued. “I’ll do my best, my prince.”

“We’ll make sure to give you every detail,” Odin agreed.

It was good to know that there would be people keeping tabs on that man. After their conversation at the coffee shop, Leo couldn’t help but feel uneasy whenever he thought of him. Something didn’t seem right. And whenever Leo pictured the blond man’s face in his mind, he couldn’t help but feel like he seemed familiar. Like he should know that man’s appearance well.

“Hey,” Silas exclaimed suddenly before catching himself and clearing his throat. “I mean, your highness. I came across this embroidered cloth that had fallen off your desk earlier. It is most definitely your wife’s work.”

“You mustn't need to call me such titles in this world,” Leo reminded him, smiling fondly as Silas passed him the cloth that always seemed to appear in the most random moments. “Her work is remarkable isn’t it?”

“Exactly,” Silas grinned excitedly. “Which is why I think you should show this to Charlotte.”

“What do you mean?” Leo raised an eyebrow.

“He thinks that there may be a reaction after she sees it,” Niles explained, having heard this quote-on-quote amazing idea of the knight’s several times. “Like she might feel nostalgia while looking at it or can identify some thing about the image.”

Leo glanced at the fabric in his slender hands. He supposed that Silas did have a point there. Although he was sure that reincarnations wouldn’t hold crystal clear memories of their past lives, he was sure that their spirits would at least have emotional and spiritual connections to places and objects.

“That will definitely be a moment!” Odin clapped. “The reincarnation of the princess holding a piece from her past life! That surely will spark something.”

“Careful,” Niles smirked, flicking Silas’ forehead. “You shouldn't feed this guy’s ego. He’s the most humble of the three of us.”

“I can’t argue with that,” Leo chuckled, stretching his arms until he heard the subtle crack of his stiff bones.

He placed the embroidered cloth onto the wooden coffee table and made a mental note to bring it with him the next time he met up with Charlotte.

“The least you could do was hesitate a bit,” Odin pouted, adorably.

His seemingly suppressed state didn’t last long however.

“We’ve almost forgotten!” Odin nearly screamed, startling Leo to an extent. As usual, Odin was always extravagant and melodramatic in almost every sense.

“Okay, calm down, Odin,” Silas ran a hand through his hair. “We shouldn’t startle our prince. He’s just woken up after all. We need to explain the situation calmly.”

“What happened?” Leo sighed, already knowing that this couldn’t be good.

Of course, he would like to say that his guard were the three absolute most responsible, and perfect people to ever exist, but he couldn’t, not to offend them really. But even back in their era, Leo was used to hearing about the nonsense that they had started that day from other servants and even his younger sister.

Silas opened his mouth to speak, “Well to simply put it-”

“We’re starving and everything is too confusing in this realm to cook with and Takumi’s gone, so we’ll surely die of starvation!” Odin exclaimed, leaning over the back of the couch and on the verge of falling over. Niles patted the crying blond’s back in feeble attempts to comfort him.

Leo rubbed his temples and straightened his back as Silas added a curt “your highness” much to his annoyance.

“Okay, slow down,” he said. “Explain what the problem is again.”

“Well, basically, I’m hu-” Niles started before Silas cut him off.

“Nope!”

“What?” Niles raised an eyebrow as Silas shook his head.

“We’ve all agreed to never let you say the terms “hungry” and “starving” since you just make everything into the most indecent innuendos,” Silas explained, crossing his arms.

Niles’ smile barely moved an inch however. “But what if I’m _thirsty_?”

Odin struggled to keep Silas from attacking the now laughing Niles. Leo sighed, before standing up, briefly stretching his limbs before turning towards the squabble that was undergoing in the room.

Leo cleared his throat silencing Silas’ cries exploiting Niles’ pure indecent tendencies and Niles’ mocking laughs.

“I understand the situation,” Leo stated steadily. “However, I do have one question. Where _is_ Takumi exactly?”

To his knowledge, the other should have been just as exhausted as he was. After all the two had spent a while outside and had only returned quite early in the morning before they managed to fall asleep. If he had left that quickly, even without cooking the three a breakfast, he must’ve gotten up quite early. Leo frowned as he felt the urge to scold the other for neglecting his health.

“He went job searching, apparently,” Niles explained, returning to a much more serious tone.

“He mentioned that he’ll be back around either noon or evening,” Odin added.

“However, he kind of forgot to feed us on the way out,” Silas bit the inside of his cheek.

“Don’t worry about anything,” Leo frowned. “I’ll get some food for us to eat.”

“But your highness,” Odin protested. “Shouldn’t we be the ones tending to you?”

“That should not matter right now,” Leo replied. “If you three must busy yourselves though, you can try cleaning the house while I’m gone.”

The prince quickly got ready, yawning as he struggled to fully wake up. Even after they safely arrived back to the house, and he had fallen onto the couch in a groggy state, Leo couldn’t exactly fall asleep. Despite his eyes feeling too heavy to remain open, his mind wouldn’t turn off and all he could think about was everything that was suddenly thrown onto his shoulders. He had to find a way to marry Charlotte without seeming too sudden. Not to mention, he had to figure out what had happened to the true Leo. He still had a gut feeling that Zola was wrapped along in this situation as well.

It was all too much. And yet the one thing that seemed to rule over his mind, overcoming any problem he was facing just had to be that insufferable-

_Focus_. Leo groaned as he rubbed his eyes. Usually he had trouble waking up in the mornings, which was a terrible quality to have. Especially for a prince. As he pulled on a warm jacket for the growing chilly weather, he thought about the emptiness troubling him. The feeling that sat in his being and almost felt like it was dragging him through the dirt. As if a piece of himself was ripped apart.

He decided he was simply beginning to feel unwell.

As he walked through the late autumn city streets, burying his nose into his jacket and stuffing his hands in his pockets he cursed Takumi for not making breakfast for his three idiotic guards. Then he wouldn’t be dying from the weather with his godforsaken freezing hands without any source of heat to warm them up. Besides, if he was struggling to get employed he could’ve just said so and Leo could’ve easily offered him a position in his father’s massive company. It was the least he could do for everything.

Quickly, to avoid the ever persistent breeze, Leo ducked into a small corner store he vaguely remembered cleaning during his first few days living in this world. It was warmer there and overall seemed quite welcoming.

Being the only customer in the store was slightly awkward though as he walked through the small two or three aisles and grabbed a few packs of food to accommodate his comrade’s ever growing hunger. As the cashier wordlessly scanned his items and bagged them, Leo stared down at his shoes and stuffed his hands back into his pockets, almost instinctively to grab the twine dolls, only to realize that they weren’t in this certain jacket anyway. It was a disappointing realization.

“Something got you feeling down?” the cashier asked, surprising the other.

He was never truly used to sudden small talk. He could handle everyday conversations and talking with endless noblemen and his father, but he could never truly grasp the all too sudden chats with random people he barely knew. But he was taught etiquette and good manners, and wouldn’t be so rude as to not give an answer.

“Nothing too grave, but thank you,” Leo replied politely, looking up at the cashier only to immediately turn away as his face heated up profusely.

She was older than he was obviously and was fairly pretty. Her hair was in an interesting up do, and had been dyed a nice purple that was now fading back to her original hair colour. However, the only thing that seemed to shock the crown prince was her attire. She wore a white crop top that barely did anything to cover her reasonably sized bosom that Leo had to quickly glance at to find her name tag.

It said ‘Orochi,’ who Leo now remembered to be the shop’s owner and Takumi’s supposed friend.

“Don’t seem so down,” Orochi let out a lighthearted laugh. “You seem like a nice boy. I’m sure you’ll make all the ladies swoon in a second with a simple smile of yours.”

How was she not freezing in this weather? That must take a god-like strength that Leo wished he possessed as he struggled to keep his hands warm even in his pockets.

“I...um...I actually already have someone special,” Leo said, a new shyness suddenly washing over him.

“Oh?” Orochi beamed happily. “That’s wonderful to hear! What are they like?”

“Beautiful,” Leo said for a start, “even if they don’t know it, kind and stubborn with pride, a hard worker, easy to tease with the most angelic laugh, but still irking at times, and not to mention extremely insufferable…”

He trailed off as he tried to remember who he was even describing.

“They sound wonderful,” Orochi smiled, telling him the total cost of his purchase before he gave her the perfect amount.

He seemed too lost in his own thoughts to have heard her comment about how nice it was not having to calculate change for once.

But as he picked up the grocery bags and Orochi wished him a wonderful rest of the day, he couldn’t help but feel lost in a sudden daze. As he thought over the people that had always been and had newly become special in his heart, he let the breeze blow on him, chilling his core and he could’ve cared less. As he struggled to come to terms with his brain and heart, he trudged back to the place he was currently calling home.

And even when his three friends were leaping with joy when he returned with the food they all but needed to survive, he couldn’t help but still let his thoughts consume him once again. As everyone happily ate, Leo couldn’t stop himself from looking at his wife’s embroidered work sitting so innocently on the coffee table.

And the odd feeling in his gut didn’t seem to go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leo literally never makes any progress...sorry?
> 
> I know that Silas, Odin, and Niles really seem like they're just there for comic relief, but honestly they're so fun to write and are just plain adorable XD. And to be honest, it's kind of heartbreaking for them since they really are homesick and were kind of caught in the wrong place at the wrong time sort of thing when they got sent to the new era. 
> 
> And also the cute Leokumi scenes that I just had to write! Swings are so cliché, but I don't care! Honestly, I had the best time writing that scene :D
> 
> Anyway, I'll catch you guys whenever another random update occurs! I hope you'll have a wonderful day (or night)!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte and Leo share their moments. The prince attempts to uncover suspect's potential motives for the assassination and also effs up real bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I have another chapter for you!
> 
> More than a month later...XD.
> 
> Anyways, I've been getting some writing done since it is summer! But I'll be working part time soon, so it'll still be stalled a bit, but I'm persevering. Still extremely sorry for the long waits for updates. But here is another chapter, which I had to cut short again since it grew waaaaaaaaaay too long.
> 
> But anyways, enjoy!!!

“It’s beautiful,” Charlotte breathed as she examined the embroidered cloth.

Leo couldn’t help but smile at the sight, turning to look at the indoor tennis courts surrounding the sitting area. The two had decided to play tennis, which Leo ultimately was proven to suck at. In his defense it was a lot more difficult than it appeared to be. But even so, Charlotte offered to teach him if he wanted to learn.

“What flowers are these?” the blonde asked, running a finger over the intricate designs and knots.

Leo felt his smile falter a bit at the question, silently searching the other’s face for any hint of reminiscence. It was almost as if this was the only time she had ever seen the piece. Shrugging off the feeling of sadness washing over him, Leo sat up straighter and cleared his throat subtly.

“They’re camellias,” he replied, looking over the embroidery as well. It never seemed to tire him even if he had seen the pattern and design probably over a hundred times already. He seemed to memorize every inch of the cloth to a tee.

“Well they’re absolutely gorgeous,” Charlotte exclaimed. “We should definitely go out to see some in real life one day.”

Leo immediately grew happy after hearing her joy. “I’d love to.”

“Are you sure I’m allowed to look at this?” the blonde secretary asked, pushing a few locks of hair behind her ear. “You did say that the design team were planning to use this for their next line.”

Leo scratched the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly at the small excuse he had to make on the spot.

“It is just a prototype of what they had in mind,” he lied once again. “Besides, they need some more opinions on the idea before they go through with it.”

“I think this embroidery is incredible,” she said. “They should definitely go through with this concept.”

“I’ll certainly let them know,” Leo nodded halfheartedly.

Charlotte placed the cloth down onto her lap, turning away from the design to look at the other. Her diamond blue eyes glimmered in the artificial lighting and it brought back countless memories he spent with his wife. His heart ached at those thoughts.

And he remembered how he couldn't let his wife’s reincarnation meet the same fate. Whoever was opposing her, he’d stop them this time.

“Hey, Leo,” she suddenly spoke, her voice soft and gentle. “Have you...have you ever...never mind, it’s stupid.”

“No, go on,” Leo reassured her, his voice just as soft.

The two were suddenly submerged in their own little bubble. The background noise of the other people playing tennis, chatting, and the squeaks of their shoes against the blue floor faded away as all they heard and saw was each other.

“Have you ever felt like you’ve just met the one person for you?” Charlotte asked, moving her hand towards his. “That you’ve fallen for the one you were destined for?”

“I have,” was Leo’s quiet response. Of course he had. After all he had so quickly fallen for Calla and they surely were meant to be.

“Well, I know that I’ve really just met you,” she breathed a laugh. “And I know this may be a bit too sudden...but I think that…”

She paused for a bit before continuing.

“What I’m trying to say is that I’m always happy with you and I want to spend more time with you,” Charlotte held onto his hand, running a thumb over his knuckles. “And I think that I...I’m in love with you.”

She breathed a small laugh as if she couldn’t believe she was finally saying it.

“I love you, Leo,” Charlotte finally finished, giving him a warm smile.

And to Leo, it was almost as if the background noise, the chatter and the squeaks of their shoes flooded back into his hearing upon those words. As if he was slowly suffocating in the atmosphere, staring at the woman before him and her loving gaze.

“I...I love you too,” Leo replied, offering his own smile, though he couldn’t ignore how empty he felt afterwards. He could’ve sworn he should have felt something more with such a strong expression. The non-existent butterflies in his stomach was really just a pit that made the prince feel...nothing.

It all happened too fast and yet too slow. They were looking into one another’s eyes and then their lips were together. He remembered kissing his wife over that bridge, during their wedding and just their regular strolls in the gardens. He remembered the feeling of her lips on his and yet he couldn’t feel a fire or spark as he felt Charlotte’s lips against his own.

He had pictured the moment he’d finally be able to hold and kiss his wife again, even if it was just her reincarnation. And yet, this moment didn’t seem at all what he had imagined.

But still he smiled at the blonde woman who sat beside him, holding his hand. And only began to imagine future interactions and how it would eventually get better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Charlotte huffed, glaring at the man sitting before her. How come they always seemed to be running into one another nowadays?

“Now what do you want Zola?” she scowled as the name rolled off her tongue. “You seem more desperate and paranoid than usual.”

“I’m only concerned for you,” Zola sighed. “I’ve noticed how close you’ve grown with _that boy_.”

The woman raised an eyebrow at the way Zola had said “that boy.” As if they were the bane of his existence. She, however, caught on in a second.

“Leo?” Charlotte returned to glaring. “What does that have to do with anything? Are you still worried that your crime will be uncovered?”

“Well you shouldn't fuss over nothing. You’ll get white hairs over that, old man,” the secretary grumbled. “He’s not even bothering to figure out what caused him to lose his memories anyway. He’s been too caught up with our budding romance.”

“For someone with a budding romance, you’d think you’d sound happier,” Zola muttered. “Besides, that’s not exactly the problem.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I don’t trust that fiend!” the older blond man tried to not raise his voice. “He may look and act like Leo, but something feels off about him.”

Charlotte let out a laugh. “Are you serious?”

“Yes!” Zola gritted his teeth. “I don’t think he’s who you think he is.”

“Have you gone crazy?” the blonde scoffed. “How can that not be Leo?”

“He refuses treatment, he has new habits and has made almost no progress with regaining his memories,” Zola explained. “Isn’t that suspicious? What if he isn’t even Leo. That explains why he’ll never remember anyway.”

Charlotte stood up from her seat. “You’re talking nonsense. More than usual that is. I’m leaving if you only wanted to warn me of a false suspicion.”

Zola almost immediately snatched her wrist, preventing her from leaving. His palms were noticeably sweaty and he was quickly looking from left to right.

“Let go of me!” she hissed, hoping they weren’t causing a scene, but luckily no one seemed to notice their squabble.

“Just be careful,” the other said in a low voice. “I don’t want you getting in any unnecessary trouble.”

Charlotte managed to yank her wrist free, rubbing it as if she had been burned by the other’s touch.

“Why do you even care?”

Zola clamped his mouth shut after that, looking down towards the floor as Charlotte waited for a response. When she was given nothing she merely scoffed and walked away, clearly unamused by his paranoia. If he just hadn’t decided to go through with such an idiotic plan, maybe he wouldn’t be so wrapped up in his own fear.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

With much hesitation, Leo lead Charlotte up the stairs to the rooftop house. He wasn’t exactly sure it was quite to her tastes, but she seemed to smile at the sight, chuckling a bit.

“How cute.”

As they walked inside, Charlotte took a look around. Which wouldn't take long. It wasn’t “I’m rich” big.

“It isn’t much compared to my brother’s house,” Leo pointed out, shutting the door behind him.

“I like it though,” the blonde shook her head. “It’s simple, yet costly.”

Leo was about to offer her a seat while he got beverages when Takumi darted out of literally nowhere, clearly in a hurry. The prince almost waited expectantly for an acknowledgement or a formal greeting, but was only offered a short ‘hello’ followed by another short ‘bye’ which was extremely insulting and rude.

Takumi rummaged through his bag to check for a few items, walking towards the door in slow steps, completely oblivious to how offended the crown prince was beside him.

“It’s pretty rude when you don’t say hello back,” Takumi muttered as he zipped his bag closed after his final inspection. “Or good bye for that matter.”

Leo felt his eye twitch at the statement. To think this was how he was to be treated after they had such a bonding moment.

The taller sighed, glancing back at Charlotte only to find her staring at Takumi. The ladder noticed her stare, turning away, a small frown present on his face. Leo sensed some tension in the room, having dealt with so much during meetings with his father’s regents. Did something happen between them? To his knowledge, they barely knew each other.

Charlotte didn’t say a word, only blankly looking at the short male.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have to go now,” Takumi finally broke the silence, recommencing his way to the door.

As he watched the other walk further away, Leo felt like grabbing his wrist again and spinning him around. He barely saw his friend for several days. He’d been so busy lately looking for work that he was almost never home. The prince just wanted to be with him a bit longer. If only a minute or two to spare.

“Wait!” He called before he could think, startling both Charlotte and Takumi.

Leo vaguely remembered something that he needed to do, pulling out the embroidered cloth from earlier from inside his own bag. He swiftly handed it to the shorter male who only looked at him in confusion. He couldn’t blame him. After all, this seemed like a sad attempt to spend a few more minutes with him in Leo’s mind.

“Why are you giving this to me?” Takumi raised an eyebrow, having recognized the piece from so long ago. The camellias looked as beautiful as he remembered and he would definitely want to look over the design again when he had some spare time.

“I...I need it to be cleaned,” Leo explained almost hesitantly. “It must be washed gently with care since it is embroidered by hand and is very delicate.”

Charlotte watched the exchange closely, pursing her lips together, unbeknownst to the other two.

“So you want _me_ to wash it for you,” Takumi stated, dryly.

“It’s important to me,” Leo added. “And I need someone that I can trust to take care of it.”

Takumi bit his lip hesitantly. The guy was talking like this was his pet or something. He looked over the cloth one more time before sighing. “Leo, I honestly do not have time for this right now. I’m really busy.”

“It doesn’t have to be today,” the blond persisted. “Just do it as a favour for a friend...you could perhaps attempt tomorrow if you aren’t too busy.”

Almost immediately, Takumi dejected at the offer.

“I can’t tomorrow. It’s my-,” he paused when he caught Charlotte’s eye, shaking his head and sighing. “Forget it. If it’s so important to you, I can try cleaning it tonight. After I come back.”

“Thank you,” Leo smiled warmly, which Takumi actually felt like was his reward for accepting, quickly glancing away, hoping his cheeks weren’t as flushed as they felt. “Your deed means much to me.”

Charlotte balled her fists at her sides, hiding her stark white hands in the pleats of her skirt. She already couldn't stand Takumi, but for some reason when he and Leo interacted, she felt envy. She couldn’t explain it...but that freeloader didn’t deserve to be here. He shouldn’t meddle with lives he has no part of being in which he was just so adamant in doing, just like in the past.

She forced a smile and stood patiently as Takumi placed the cloth gently into a woven basket near a house plant and a few cardboard boxes.

The silver haired male quickly darted out of the house, without a decent farewell either. When the secretary turned to the other blond, she couldn’t pin down why he had such a joyous look in his eye after such a sorry excuse of a decent conversation.

She bit her glossed lips before turning to Leo almost expectantly.

“Please sit down,” Leo insisted when he finally turned her way. “You shouldn’t have had to stand that long. Especially in those shoes.”

Charlotte glanced at her high heels, breathing a laugh before sitting down on the expensive living room couch. Her feet did ache more often than not, but it was just a sacrifice she had to make to seem aesthetically pleasing or sophisticated in others eyes. She was glad to give them a bit of relief as she sat back on the comfy couch.

As Leo made his way to sit down, his phone began ringing. He politely excused himself as he left the room to answer the call, leaving Charlotte to her thoughts. She tapped a finger on her knee, looking around the room once again.

Life was seemingly good at the moment. She needed to keep it like that. She couldn’t let anything ruin this for her. For once everything seemed to fall into place. Well maybe not everything.

She stood up abruptly, making sure Leo wasn’t anywhere near or walking back in. The blonde almost casually walked over to the basket, picking up the embroidered piece that Leo had showed her not too long before. She stroked the detailed petals of the flower she couldn’t quite remember the name of. As she studied the whole artwork itself once again, she wondered why Leo commented on its extreme importance to him.

After all, it was just a prototype design of what may later join the many amazing clothing designs of Corrin’s fashion design industry. Maybe he was to return it fully intact..well of course he was, but maybe he was being his usual self who strived to do his work to near perfection. She couldn’t exactly pin it down, but she could care less at the moment as she stuffed the cloth into her shoulder bag, zipping her bag quickly before walking briskly back to the couch.

Meanwhile, Leo turned to his phone when he read the Caller ID. _Niles_. That was new...as in that rarely happened. Unless Niles wanted to prank call him again. Which he’d rather not have since his days doing paperwork were only more bothersome with the troublesome former criminal. He hoped his friend’s message was important.

“Hello,” Leo greeted as he accepted the call.

“Hello, milord,” Niles replied almost immediately after. “Odin and I had followed Zola for a while while Silas went to dig some more information on him.”

Leo instantly focused more, knowing how important this all was how.

“That’s good. Have you discovered anything?”

“Well for one, this guy doesn’t do much but work at his desk,” Niles grunted. “However we saw him talking to Charlotte at a café earlier.”

The prince stiffened at the thought. Zola had been with Charlotte? And not even too long ago. What were they discussing? What was their relationship?

“What happened?” Leo found himself biting his lip, waiting somewhat impatiently for the other’s response.

“She didn’t seem too happy,” Niles explained. “She tried to leave but he grabbed her.”

Leo balled the fist currently by his side. He closed his eyes attempting to count to ten in order to calm himself. Zola was most definitely involved in this whole assassination. He had to have been. After all, why else would he be harassing Charlotte and acting hostile?

But what was this man’s motive? What did he want so badly?

“Leo,” the other's low voice reached the ear currently pressed with his cellphone. That caught his attention once again. Hearing that name instead of his title like they usually did was almost always rare, if it ever happened. Leo would be lying if he said he didn’t find it refreshing.

“Odin and I have some theories,” he continued, pausing as if he was checking to make sure no one was listening. “We think Zola might carry affection for Charlotte.”

Leo felt sick to his stomach at the thought.

“We believe that the actual Leo and Charlotte already had some sort of connection,” Niles explained. “He believed that with Leo out of the picture when he went missing, he’d have more of a chance with her.”

“However, when you claimed to be Leo, Charlotte ultimately fell in love with you again and it made him clearly envious and frustrated,” the archer finished.

“That does make some sense,” Leo breathed, rubbing the back of his neck.

If Zola was infatuated with the blonde secretary that he currently planned to marry, there would definitely be some tensions and problems would arise. That would also explain all the intense conversations and noticeable glares that he would receive from the other man. It explained why he always tried to converse with Charlotte, when she clearly didn't want anything to do with him.

But a man who would kill in rage of unrequited love is a dangerous one.

If Zola did anything to his wife, Leo couldn’t promise his life would be spared. In this era or the one in the past.

“Thank you, Niles,” the prince managed a smile though he knew his guard couldn’t see it anyway. “This information has been useful.”

“Anything for you, milord.”

Leo sighed when the phone call ended. He rubbed his temples before taking a deep breath to calm himself down and let all the new thoughts and ideas run through his head.

Stretching his arms a bit, Leo finally walked back into the living room where Charlotte still sat on the couch. She quickly stood up, turning around to find the other.

“Oh, Leo,” she smiled apologetically. “I’m so very sorry, but some work came in and I really have to go.”

_But work meant her going back to where Zola was._

“I understand,” Leo offered a smile of his own. “Who am I as the chairman's son to stop an employee from working?”

Charlotte breathed a small laugh. “I had a wonderful day, Leo.”

She bid a farewell as Leo mentally screamed at himself to convince her to stay, but his mouth stayed shut. She closed the door softly behind her which was undoubtedly thoughtful of her. The prince groaned, wanting to scream into a pillow. What was wrong with him? Why wasn’t he feeling the same sensation he felt in his era? Why was everything so confusing?

He sat back down on the couch, trying to collect his thoughts. He may not be bearing the weight of the crown any longer, but was now facing the weight of all the ordeals entrusted to him. He felt like the same lonely crown prince from a thousand years back. Just in different clothing and a different setting. Which he supposed was true since he was in fact so. But that feeling of everyone counting on him was too much. He couldn’t handle all this. Not right now.

He felt like staring at some of his wife’s work to calm himself but decided not to, opting to rest for a bit. He laid down on the plush couch, closing his eyes as he tried to find peace within the war in his head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Takumi sighed as he walked back up the steps of the rooftop house. It didn’t even feel like he’d been out too long even though he knew a few hours had passed. He stretched his aching muscles before walking towards the front door. The job offering he had went to check out had apparently been moved to later in the night. Which meant Takumi was pretty much free for most of the evening before he had to leave yet again to get employed...yet again.

They were already entering the winter season. It wasn’t too bad, so Takumi believed he could handle the current weather. He walked inside, about to set his things down before his eyes landed on the cardboard box meant for clothing donations. Mentally groaning, the silver haired male picked up the box and made his way back outside.

The walk to the donations bin wasn’t too far, but was quite a while away. He quickly dumped all the clothing he was donating into the light green box before gently placing the cardboard box into the giant recycling bin nearby. Clapping his hands together, Takumi smiled as this task was finally complete. Since the truck would arrive in a few minutes, it was lucky he actually made it on time.

Literally trudging back home from how exhausted he was from the course of the day, Takumi walked back up the steps to the rooftop. He yawned, rubbing his eye as he entered.

Leo was seated at the couch, drumming his fingers on his knees, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He seemed tense and something was definitely bothering him. However, Takumi was too tired to even bother prying it out of him. With some good night’s rest he would definitely ask the other about it in the morning when his brain was functioning.

Takumi walked over to the basket he put the cloth in, leaning down to pick it up when he realized he was grasping nothing. Blinking a few more times just in case his bleariness was potentially blinding him, he noticed that the cloth wasn’t even there at all.

“Um...where is it?” he bit his lip, still staring at the empty basket. Maybe he was hallucinating.

“Where’s what?” He could literally feel the other turn around on the couch and glare at his direction.

“The cloth,” Takumi explained, eyes scanning the floor for a good few seconds. He heard the other stand up.

“What do you mean where is it?” Leo rubbed the bridge of his nose, voice clearly laced with annoyance. “You’re the one who put it somewhere, so it should be where you placed it.”

In all honestly, he probably shouldn’t have voiced the problem out loud. Especially with how stressed out the prince seemingly was. But he was way too exhausted to have stopped himself before it all happened. So Takumi didn’t really know what else to expect when he mentioned that it wasn’t where he had left it.

“Check again,” Leo ordered as if Takumi hadn’t checked a good handful of times already.

“It’s not there,” Takumi sighed, letting the sleeves of his jacket swallow his hands.

“Are you absolutely sure?” the prince frowned.

“Leo, it’s a small wooden basket,” the shorter pointed out. “It’s clearly not there.”

So the two spent the next few minutes searching everywhere in the house as if the cloth had magically moved to the other side of the place. They checked every nook and cranny for that embroidered cloth, but it was nowhere to be found.

“How can you be so stupid?” Leo finally snapped after countless useless searches.

Takumi flinched as if the other had slapped him, preferring the tense silence prior over the other’s outburst. He’d been slapped before and he had preferred that. “Excuse me?”

“Did you seriously misplace it?” the blond yelled. “You know how important that is to me!”

“I didn’t misplace it,” Takumi said through gritted teeth. That statement was in fact true. He knew that he barely had a second of sleep, but he one hundred percent put that darn piece of fabric in that wooden basket.

“Oh, so it just up and left on its own?” Leo fumed, pacing back and forth. Takumi had never actually seen him this mad before. It seemed his patience was wearing thin or was already lost at this point.

“I swear I put it in that basket!” the younger yelled back. “There’s no way it wouldn’t be there, unless…”

Takumi froze, biting his lip as he suddenly realized something. What if he didn’t put the cloth in the basket? What if he put it in the donation box he had emptied only a while ago.

“Unless what?” Leo really couldn’t deal with this right now. In fact, he could barely keep his composure and he was literally drilled with countless lessons on acting like a prince. “How could you lose something like this? I trusted you with it.”

Takumi couldn't help but glare at the other. “I didn’t ask to clean it. I didn’t have to. You’re the one who literally gave me it out of the blue.”

If the guy could just stop acting like a goddamn prince for once maybe this wouldn’t have happened. If he could just do things himself instead of ordering others to maybe he could’ve just washed it himself like a normal human being.

“What is so important about it anyway?”

“Its dear to me!” Leo spat and the other knew he hit some sort of nerve with that question. “Now thanks to your carelessness its potentially gone.”

“Can’t you just get another-” Takumi balled his fists, his shirt nails digging into his palms.

“It was one of a kind!” the taller snapped. “There was nothing else like it! Someone incredibly special to me gave it to me- _made_ it for me! So don’t you dare tell me to try to get another one!”

“Well what should I do then?”

Takumi couldn’t snap his fingers and make everything better. He couldn’t reverse time or conjure up the embroidered cloth out of thin air. What was this prince expecting him to even do?

“Stop ruining everything,” Leo clenched his jaw, already feeling regret in the pit of his stomach as the words left his mouth. “And fix the messes you always seem to create.”

Takumi scowled at that, his shaking hand already on the doorknob before he could fully register what he was doing. “Fine! I’ll find it then!”

He barely remembered storming out and slamming the door behind him. But it didn’t matter at this point. He felt his pace quicken as he jumped the steps and literally sprinted as fast as he could away from the rooftop house, unsure of where he was really heading. That was until he remembered the clothing donation and rushed to catch the truck.

He closed his eyes and tried his hardest not to let his eyes tear up. As he hurried down the street, confusing and starling many other people calmly walking, he couldn’t help but replay the other’s harsh words.

He knew that the prince was angry. That he clearly was just mad at him for losing his beloved piece of fabric. But his words still stung and no matter how hard he tried, Takumi couldn’t seem to shake off the exact tone and comment.

_Stop ruining everything._

“Don’t you think I know that already?”

He knew that he ruins everything. He knew that no matter how hard he’d try he'd still end up hurting people and creating too many problems. He, himself was one after all. But to have his own friend tell him that, to acknowledge that. He guessed it was obvious after all.

When he arrived to the donation bin, out of breath, he could see the truck driving off onto the road and disappearing from view. Gritting his teeth, Takumi pushed himself to run to the nearest bus stop, pulling out his phone to check for locations. His phone barely had enough battery left in it, but it didn’t matter at this point anyway. He checked the time and realized he was going to miss the job interview as well. Sighing, he guessed it wasn’t as important as he got onto the bus.

If that idiot wanted that cloth so bad he’d find it for him. Call him stubborn, but he was determined to get it back, wherever his stupid mind caused it to end up.

He persevered with these thoughts in his head as he searched mountains of clothing in the clothing drive’s giant headquarters. The workers told him that the next morning at around six, they were to send all the clothing away to places they were donating them to. So he only had one night to really search through all the clothing in hopes of finding what he was looking for.

He frantically looked through sweatshirts and dresses, but this task almost seemed impossible. With the amounts of clothing in this huge warehouse, he had no clue when it would all end. He felt sick and exhausted and everything felt sore, but he couldn’t stop until he found that damn embroidered cloth.

Takumi couldn’t forget those camellias. Not now. His memory in his mind seemed so intense, he could almost picture the real camellias that undoubtedly bloomed one thousand years ago. A few workers came by to check up on him. It was clear in their eyes they already knew he’d come out empty handed. That it was impossible for him to find a small piece of fabric in such huge piles of clothing. They offered some food, told him to rest for a bit, but he didn’t have time to spare. He needed to find it and couldn’t take a break.

“Are you sure it’s in here, son?” a worker asked as Takumi literally rolled down the hill of clothing in exhaustion. “Maybe you dropped it outside somewhere.”

“Maybe,” Takumi rubbed face, blinking several times to stay awake. He remembered having to walk all the way to the clothing drive bin. If the cloth was thrown into that box by mistake it could’ve possibly fallen out.

“I’ll check,” he got up, barely feeling his legs as he did so. “Thank you for your time and having to deal with this. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Not a problem, boy,” the old man let out a small chuckle. “You may not think it, but you managed to look through a good’ old portion of these clothes. That is some dedication right there!”

Takumi breathed out a nervous laugh. “I guess you can call it that.”

Desperation was more of the word he had in mind.

After giving everyone a farewell, Takumi managed to catch a late-night bus, still feeling absolutely terrible. Emotionally and physically.

Of course, as he ran across the streets and checked everywhere, he probably seemed crazy to whoever the hell was actually still awake at this hour. He continued searching the floors, watching plastic bags drift through the wind as they gave him false hope. He felt the world spinning but knew for a fact that he wasn’t even moving. The street was deserted. It was almost terrifying walking through the lit up streets when every house seemed dark and dead, offering absolutely no comfort.

His phone had died long ago, so he didn’t bother checking it, still focused on the blurry streets in front of him.

As he slowly walked along the sidewalk, eyes still scanning the whole street, he thought how it couldn’t possibly get any worse. And as usual, he was wrong and he felt small droplets of rain land on the nape of his neck and the palms of his hands as he held them out. He let the rain pour on him, even when it got harder and left his whole body soaking and freezing. It was probably the last rain Cheve would get before it all turned to snow anyway. Though Takumi could’ve sworn the rain was made of ice water since it chilled him to his core.

And at that point, he was pretty sure his sanity had reached its limit as he let out a laugh. How pathetically stupid was he right now? What did he think he was even going to achieve? Like hell he was going to find this piece of cloth that must be in the middle of god knows where. The chances of that are one in a million.

Though he could barely see a thing through the raindrops on his eyelashes, he continued to look on the street for the cloth. He nearly laughed again as he thought about how if the fabric was on the street floors, it was technically already getting a wash from the way the sky was pouring at the moment.

He eventually ended up back home. The world was still spinning as he ignored the stairs and knocked on the door for the home below. He knew it was probably extremely inconvenient, especially since he was pretty sure it was at least 4 AM. However, the door was eventually opened and the world grew fuzzier and almost slower, and he was pretty certain he ended up fainting into Hinata’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...I just had to,cut the chapter at a semi cliffhanger...oops? 
> 
> Also, Leo you stupid prince...son, you effed up real bad...like really badly. But it was mostly Charlotte's fault anyway...
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter as usual, and keep your eyes peeled for my next surprise update that'll most likely take a thousand years...get it? No, it's alright, I'm sleep deprived and drunk on coffee as I'm typing this crappy note anyway XD.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! And please tell me if there are any typos because I'm a bad editor ;) <3


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